


Some are less glorious

by CestPasDuBaudelaire



Category: Naruto
Genre: Forced Prostitution, Hatake Kakashi Needs a Hug, Hatake Kakashi Whump, Hatake Kakashi-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Kid Hatake Kakashi, Minato is there for him, Multi, Rape Recovery, Team Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:35:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29384253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CestPasDuBaudelaire/pseuds/CestPasDuBaudelaire
Summary: The life of a ninja is multifaceted. Kakashi knows that well. Some missions are easy, some are impossible. Some are interesting, some are traumatic. And some are glorious, and some not so much.He may only be eleven, but he truly felt he has seen them all. So why was that last mission he completed such a big deal for Minato-Sensei?/!\ non-graphic but explicit references to child rape /!\/!\Child soldiers army is fucked up, folks /!\
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato
Comments: 5
Kudos: 107
Collections: In-depth Worldbuilding





	Some are less glorious

**Author's Note:**

> Salut les gens.
> 
> First fic on Naruto.  
> A dark one, but focused on the most positive parts. Sorta...
> 
> Anyway, as said before, talks about underage rape. If it's a topic that is sensitive for you, I beg you not to read. If you don't feel well reading, I beg you to stop. Take care of yourselves, folks. You matter.
> 
> English's not my language, barely my part-time lover, so beware, mistakes ahead.
> 
> That being said, hope you'll enjoy the ride.
> 
> Publicly displayed private thanks to Kikiandcompany for always being willing to give fingers of honor to fight off all those self-doubting little monsters. That's very nice of you to take the time to exist.

**Some are less glorious.**

Shinobis are heroes. Men and women of adventures and exploits, who live on in posterity, whose legends are passed on from generation to generation. At least, that's what civilians think. Even some ninjas who have managed to get through the ordeals with their naive ideal intact. But this was not the case for Kakashi. He knew very well that not everything was glorious.

He didn't think about it often, though. He wasn't like that idiot Obito. He didn't ask himself questions about glory or recognition. He had a profession, and he did what was expected of him, no matter the circumstances. At that very moment he was not asking himself questions of glory, as he grasped the white sheet until his fingers trembled with exhaustion. He knew how to contain the pain. He knew it very well. Inhaling and exhaling to the rhythm of the movements of the man above him. Relax the muscles in his back and legs, forcing them to stay still and inactive. This didn't erase all the pain, of course. Even though it was an undeniable help, on a purely anatomical level, all the physical efforts of the world could not completely erase the pain, all the more so given the cruelty and the eagerness of the man that Kakashi could feel against him and within him. This is why he had to keep an unshakeable mind. With that too, there were techniques. For exemple, attempting to slip in a meditative state and shutting oneself in one's memories. Which the young boy avoided. Few of his memories were more pleasant than what he was experiencing. He preferred to stay away from them. The other technique, which he used much more, consisted of fixing a detail with intensity, focusing all his attention, and dedicating all his thoughts to it. On the wall just opposite, lit by the pale glow of a crescent moon, there was an old sketch of a devastating wave. It rose up with pride, defying the sky and threatening the frail skiff that had the audacity to skim its flank. At times, the painting was concealed by the moving shadow of the man who was frantically shoving into him, but this was not enough to shake Kakashi's focusing. His black eyes detailed each line, memorized the shape of the foam and the motionless movement of the water, appreciated the vacuity of the boat in the face of the obvious domination of nature. The boy wondered if one day he would be able to create a suiton jutsu as impressive as the wave in this painting. He was sincerely hoping so. Perhaps by slightly modifying his Stormy Blockade technique.

This thought was interrupted by a hand against his skull which grabbed his hair and pulled it back violently. Driven by the movement, Kakashi's head detached itself from the pillow in which it was buried, arching his back in the process, making the movements inside him even more painful. Concentrating his thoughts on every single detail did not erase all the pain. What remained of it was the lot of ninjas, according to Kakashi. He couldn't complain about it. The tear he felt inside him was what it was like to be a ninja. The blood that ran between his legs, that was what it was like to be a ninja. The shame and the dirt that covered his skin even more than the bruises and the wounds that the man had left him, that was what it was like to be a ninja. It was not glorious. It wasn't the image of the great heroes that Obito kept shouting that one day he would be like. But that was his job. And Kakashi was nothing but an excellent ninja. The perfect tool for his village. So when the man finally poured himself deeper inside him to finally come, defiling him from the inside, mixing the seed with blood, the boy didn't flinch. And if this destroyed a bit more of the little that was left of Kakashi, he didn't realize it. And if he knew that the dirt would never really go away and that he would always carry it with him, hidden from all but his own eyes, he didn't care. He had just completed another mission. He could live one more day. Because as long as he obeyed the rules, he would remain a good ninja, and that was the only thing that still mattered to him.

Slowly, with controlled gestures so as not to put any weight on the wound he could already feel inside, Kakashi rolled carefully to the side and began to sit on the edge of the bed. The night was already well underway. Even if he were to leave now, he wouldn't be back to Konoha before early afternoon. He would miss the morning training, which he was already regretting, but hopefully he would also miss the afternoon mission. Chasing stray cats was beginning to annoy him. All this because his team-mates were incapable of any real mission.

"Where do you think you are going?”

Kakashi didn't respond, but he forced his body to stand still when an arm wrapped around his waist, pressing it with a filthy tenderness against the torso behind him. The boy may have stronger muscles than his age would suggest, and he may have believed his Sensei when he told him that he would soon have a rapid growth spurt, but that didn't change the fact that he looked tiny in the arms of the man with the broad shoulders and long torso. The difference in size and stature made him feel like a child, and he hated it. He was an adult. He had been an adult since he was five years old and he hated that anyone could think otherwise.

With his eyes still firmly fixed on the print in front of him, he felt more than he could see a mouth landing in the crook of his neck and starting to suck and chew the bare skin.

"Your Hokage promised me the whole night. The sun isn't nearly up yet, and I'd like to introduce you to some friends.”

The voracious mouth made its way along the boy's neck, leaving a trail of drool and love-bite until it reached the chunin's ear and whispered excitedly.

"I like to share, I'm that kind of person. And your Hokage has only given a time limit, nothing else, we'll be able to have as much fun as we want, my boy.”

Kakashi forced his body and mind not to react. The man was right. Even if he thought he would be able to return, his mission would theoretically continue until sunrise, and if the client wanted him to stay, Kakashi would betray his village by refusing. That’s why he did not move, remaining silent, his eyes fixed on the frail boat preparing to be broken by the uncaring wave.

"Moreover, don't forget that your village needs my permission to build their outpost on my land. I'll have to be in an excellent mood to give it to them. So, are you going to be very, very nice to me and my friends, to help me get in a good mood?”

"Yes, Jaaku-Sama.”

He had answered without thinking, his ninja instincts taking over. He had been trained. He knew what the man was waiting and longing for, knew how to respond those desires. Kakashi was very good at living up to expectations. Besides, Iwa had moved further inland. They needed this outpost. At any cost. By carrying out his mission that night, he was helping to build a structure that would save thousands of civilian lives.

As the man, with a hand firmly grasping the silver hair, guided the boy's head between his legs, Kakashi wondered, as he took the client's sex in his mouth, if this was the kind of action Obito found so heroic about his ninja idols.

***

"Bakakashi is late! He will never be allowed to lecture me ever again!”

Obito exulted! He had been scared, seeing the time passing by, all the more so as there was this little granny who couldn't carry her shopping bags and that he had helped in the marketplace. When he had realized that he was an hour late, he had done everything he could to get to the training ground as quickly as possible, already being able to hear the sharp and nasty remarks of his team-mate. He had even started to imagine answers more or less around the idea of "You wouldn't even help a dying grandmother if it would make you two minutes late" and "You moron! "but in the end, he didn't need all that. The second he walked into the clearing where they were meeting, already shouting his apologies at full speed, he noticed that the bastard wasn't there. Yet he was almost an hour late! When Obito realized this, he had immediately forgotten his excuses and arguments and, unable to stop a broad smile from stretching his lips, he immediately began a diatribe to say how this idiot, who thought he was so much better than everyone else, could also be late and, as a result, no longer had the right to lecture anyone! However, the sensei soon shattered his dreams of revenge.

"Kakashi is not late, Obito. He is on a mission. He won't be with us for this training.”

"What? But why is he on a mission and not us? It's unfair! I want to go on a mission too!”

"It was not a team mission.” explained Minato with a sorry smile, wanting to defuse the great disappointment and the certain jealousy he could sense in the voice of young Uchiha.

"But why don't Rin and I ever have solo missions, too? It's always Kakashi!”

"We're not on the same level," Rin breathed as she put a calm hand on her friend's shoulder. "Kakashi has a Jonin level, even the Sandaime says so, and we have just been promoted to Chunin.”

"We're as strong as he is! Rin or me, we can beat him whenever we want!”

"Kakashi has more experience than you. "Minato tried to prevent even more revolt.

He knew it would be useless to compare the levels of the two boys on the team. That would not help the situation, nor would it help Obito who, despite his great speeches, often suffered from lack of self-confidence. The Sensei knew that it was better to stick to the indisputable facts.

"Kakashi had already done some solo missions before joining the team. That's why he is the one of your generation to receive the most missions. It has nothing to do with your levels, Obito, simply Kakashi is more used to it, and has already had the opportunity to prove himself.”

"It will come for us too," said Rin with an encouraging smile. "We just have to be patient.”

"Exactly. Keep training hard and you will always be sent on more interesting missions.”

"But how are we supposed to prove ourselves? It's not by helping to plant wheat and finding lost objects in the village that we're going to prove anything to anyone! And every time we are lucky enough to be sent on a mission outside, in the field, Kakashi always steals the show! I can do cool stuff too, but nobody ever notices!”

"I notice it, Obito. And Rin and Kakashi too. But "doing cool stuff" is not enough to succeed on the field. Beyond your skills, you need a certain state of mind that is acquired with experience and habit. This is the kind of change that can't be rushed, Obito. It will come. You also have to prove to the Hokage that you have enough discipline to wait your turn.”

"I really don't see what he has that I don't, apart from his passionate romance with the ninja rules.”

"Well, for example, Kakashi would have understood that it's high time to start training and would have focused on his own progress rather than comparing it to that of others.”

Obito immediately frowning at the remark, and the Sensei tousled his hair with a kind smile.

"Don't be discouraged, Obito. Keep on working and you'll be able to achieve all your dreams.”

"Yes, Sensei! What do we do today?”

"Endurance training! You are going to run laps around the field.”

"Senseiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii", cried the two newly promoted chunins.

Minato laughed, but remained uncompromising and, despite the tearful pleas, he gently pushed them to begin their laps. Remaining in the center of the clearing, the Sensei watched them run for a while, Obito could not help but heckle a little, provoking Rin's clear laughter. The two children were hurtling between the trees, carefree and dreamy, already imagining the great heroes they would become.

Minato agreed with Obito. There was nothing that his youngest pupil had that the Uchiha didn't have. But it was obvious that Obito and Rin were holding something in them that Kakashi had lost a long time ago. He knew that with a lot of training and determination, there was no reason why Obito and Rin couldn't reach the level of their team-mate. But he doubted that one day the youngest boy would be able to run and laugh like the two others were able to do so easily. All Minato could hope for was that the war would end before his two older pupils also lost this wonderful ability.

* * *

* * *

It was dark outside again. The sun had risen, had started its course, and had set again, without Kakashi really noticing its presence. So much so that when he finally arrived in Konoha, all he came across were deserted streets and rooftops blending into the darkness. He didn't meet anyone on the way, which he didn't complain about at all. When he arrived in front of the door of his flat, he deactivated the traps and slipped into the doorway, closing it behind him and reactivating the protective seals and the flight of Shuriken ready to hit any intruder.

His home was much smaller than what he had been used to, growing up in his father's house. But by the time he became Chunin and had enough money to pay rent, he had moved out quickly, and he liked it much more. There was one living room, which also served as a kitchen and bedroom, and a tiny shower room attached to the main space. Everything was utilitarian, nothing superfluous, nothing personal. Just enough to sleep, eat and wash. But it was Kakashi's favourite place. Because he could lock the door, and he had the right to refuse entry to others. He paid the rent with his own money, which he earned himself. And he owned the place. Only him. He took off his sandals in the entrance, without sitting down. Then, after putting his tanto and his satchel on the small table in the entrance, he went to the bathroom. He took some time to get used to the bright light, after turning on the switch and, when his black pupils had become accustomed to it, he moved towards the mirror. Finally, he began to undress quickly, with weary but effective gestures, having no desire to drag it out more than necessary. If the speed of his movements sometimes sent flashes of pain throughout his body, he showed nothing of it. Even in his mirror he did not allow himself to show his emotions. When he was naked, he could see the extent of the damage.

His pale skin retained the bruises well, as could be seen from the many purple marks on his arms, legs and neck, where he had been grasped with too much emotion and enthusiasm. Bite marks and hickeys stained his belly, shoulders and torso as evidence of possession and claiming. He remembered exactly which mouth had made which mark. Turning around, he saw his back and buttocks streaked with long purple gashes, some of which had broken the skin and some blood stains were contrasting with the pale skin. The men had appreciated power and violence. Kakashi had learned that this kind of desire was satisfied by the vision of the victim's suffering. So he had played it to perfection, simulating crying, begging and screaming to the delight of the clients. Of course, it had really been painful. But it had been a long time since Kakashi had cried, begged and screamed when he was in pain. Still fixed on his reflection in the mirror, the boy's eyes lowered a little, following the curve of his buttocks to see the black mass above. Blood, dried and cracked, stained his inner thighs, like a repulsive garment that hid nothing. Most ninjas feared the sight of their own blood. And rightly so. Blood was synonymous with death on the battlefield. But Kakashi had been relieved to see it spilled. The smell was heavy and disgusting to his overly sensitive nose, but the blood had made the penetrations less painful in the long run. He was lucky to have bled so much.

Kakashi finished checking his condition and finally detached himself from the mirror, carefully avoiding looking at his own face, which was without any doubt the most unworthy and humiliated part of his body. All in all, he couldn't complain. He had experienced missions of this kind that had been carried out with less pain and humiliation, but also others that had been much worse than this one. The client had an order, not to physically handicap the ninja, and he had obeyed it. Despite the damage, it would all heal. This body was still functional. Disgusting, to be sure. Kakashi would have wanted to tear off his skin and cleanse the inside of his organs with acid. But functional. This body could continue to serve the village.

Slowly, Kakashi gathered up his clothes and placed them in a dirty laundry bin. He would try to see if they could be saved tomorrow. He would want to get rid of them and never see them again, but this kind of emotionalism was not rational. There was no reason to throw away a set of uniforms in relatively good condition if you left out the blood on the trousers and the slightly torn top of the mask. Once this was done, he went into the shower and, with a washcloth, began to gently clean the dry blood that was staining his thighs and buttocks. He added a little oxygenated water to help the process and prevent him from having to rub too much on the sore skin. He tried to cleanse himself more thoroughly, but it was far too painful and with shaky hands he was forced to give up the idea. That would be all right for tonight, he would let time heal the more internal wounds. He then washed the rest of his body, vigorously rubbing the skin to try to get rid of the feeling of those tongues, teeth, lips, fingers on his body. His efforts were in vain, in spite of all his good will, and soon his skin, red and furious, was in turn too sensitive for him to continue rubbing it in this way. He finally let go of the washcloth. He couldn't wash the wounds on his back, but he didn't care. If he couldn't see them, he could ignore them. Now all he had to do was complete the last part of his ritual. Kakashi turned on the shower, set the temperature to its minimum and finally sat down on the floor, directly under the water jet. He grimaced a little, the inside of his body protesting in pain at this position, and felt a slight trickle of warm liquid flowing beneath him, but he ignored it. He took a deep breath until he overcame the pain and, once calmed down, he simply let the water flow over him. It was so cold that it was burning, but that's what Kakashi wanted. The cold water anaesthetised. It desensitized the skin, numbed the muscles, atrophied thoughts and slowed the heart. Everything the boy wanted. The freezing water sometimes plunged him into a state that his mind, childish in spite of itself, assimilated to death. And that was the only part he enjoyed, in this kind of mission. When he could finally close his eyes, alone, without any sensation, and say to himself, for an hour, that he was dead and at peace.

But he always ended up being torn from that state, to his greatest sorrow. Because as soon as his body went numb to the point of not being able to move, and his heart signalled to his brain that it felt like it was about to stop, his Shinobi instinct caught up with him. A sudden wave of fear came over him, activating all his muscles and vital functions, hoping to give him one last boost of energy to fight against imminent death. Kakashi always woke up brutally from his trance, adopting a fighting position, ready to kill with his tiny hands the danger that threatened him before he understood that he was the only danger in the room. But, after these sudden awakenings, Kakashi knew that it was impossible for him to fall back into his comforting trance, and so he would always get up, get out of the shower and go on with his life. That evening, the course of his life led him to a late night's sleep. If he wanted to be fit for training tomorrow, he had to make the most of the few hours he had left. So he left the freezing bathroom, found his blue pajamas in his dresser, put some bathroom tissues in the bottom of his trousers to absorb the bleeding - he had no desire to wake up early this morning to clean the blood out of his pajamas - and climbed into bed. The mattress was cold and hard for having been used so little. But it suited the boy. The night was hot, and the wood, burnt all day by the sun, continued to spread heat. However, the young chunin took great care to cover his whole body with the thick blanket. Whatever the heat, Kakashi was unable to sleep without something to cover him with. Even on their mission to Suna, Obito had made fun of him for this habit, while Rin had worried about the heat. But that didn't change anything. Kakashi couldn't sleep without it. Each time he would grab a corner of the blanket in his hands and wrap himself in the rest, until it was tightly wrapped around him, making an impenetrable barrier between his body and the world. Only then could he close his eyes and plunge into a restless but silent sleep.

* * *

* * *

Minato knocked at the door of his youngest student. He wasn't sure if he had come early enough, as the boy had the annoying habit of arriving much too early. All the more so as the Sensei could not feel the slightest trace of chakra in the flat, not that this was irrefutable proof as the young prodigy had developed the habit of concealing his presence even in the village. It was disturbing but also extremely impressive. This chunin had a discipline and focusing that even the most mature Jonins struggled to maintain.

Minato knocked a second time and almost gave up when the door opened cautiously. He saw Kakashi's small silhouette, which barely reached his waist. Kakashi's face was as calm as he was accustomed to - at least for what was visible with the mask - but there was a surprise and suspicion in his eyes which he could not really hide.

"Sensei?”

" Hi, Kakashi! How are you?”

"Why are you here, Sensei?"

The question, although a little brusque, had been said without malice or sullenness, simply a rightful curiosity, so Minato was content to smile at his so unsocial student.

"I asked the question first, I deserve an answer first, don't you think?”

"I am fine. Why are you here, Sensei?"

"I thought we could go to the training ground together. Did you get enough rest to come?”

"Yes..."

Kakashi seemed to find the situation strange, but Minato had gotten him used to this kind of solicitude enough that he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Have you had breakfast yet?”

"Yes. I just need to sharpen my tanto, I didn't have time to do it last night.”

"All right, I'll wait for you.”

Kakashi seemed to hesitate for a moment, weighing the pros and cons, as a worried crease formed on his forehead. He looked over his shoulder for a moment and then stared at Minato again, the latter feeling mercilessly judged by those unfathomable black eyes. Finally, Kakashi must have been satisfied with what he saw as he shrugged his shoulders again.

"You can come in if you want.”

"If you don't mind.”

Kakashi didn't answer but stepped aside to let the Sensei in. Even though Minato had already been to this flat several times, he always had a strange feeling when crossing the threshold. That of entering an extremely fragile and sensitive territory that would not withstand the slightest threat. He knew that Kakashi attached great importance to the little privacy that the village left him, and he would not have been surprised to learn that he was the only person who was allowed in this small room, so impersonal, so cold, and yet so precious to his pupil. He took off his sandals in the entrance and walked a few steps into the small room. The bed was already impeccably made, in the most martial style, the waxed floor and the books perfectly aligned on the bookshelf gave the place an almost luxurious glow, despite the obvious simplicity of its appearance. On the small circular table near the window, a bowl of soup, the remnant of the child's meal, was still there, the only disorder in the space. Minato had seen the rooms of his three pupils, but Kakashi was undeniably the most organized and the most concerned about housework, much more so than Rin who, however, had the constant admonitions of her mother to motivate her.

"I can do the dishes, if you want. "suggested the Sensei as Kakashi gathered his kunai.

"I can do it.”

"I don't doubt it, Kakashi. But just because you can do it doesn't mean you have to do it.”

With another student, he would not have taken such precautions. He usually didn't hesitate to help with even the most minor of tasks, and Obito and Rin always looked forward to seeing their chores halved. Especially since they had enough trust in their Sensei to let him do what he wanted in almost any situation. But Minato did not feel the same way with Kakashi. Of course he knew that the boy respected and even admired him. He knew that he had his full trust. But he felt that, with the younger boy, there were so many implicit limits, so many boundaries which, if crossed, would invariably destroy their relationship. Kakashi was an extremely withdrawn boy, who did not give his trust easily and never unconditionally. Minato felt that the boy's trust and respect was too fragile for him to take the slightest risk, so that even something as anecdotal as helping him pack his things or talking to him about something unrelated to the training or mission required special precautions and consultation for the boy's consent. Finally, Kakashi, after judging him for a moment in silence, ended up nodding his head slightly, before returning to the preparation of his belongings.

Minato took the bowl, the glass and the chopsticks and carried them to the sink where he washed them before putting them back in the cabinet. He had helped Kakashi once or twice to repair his flat for problems he didn't know how to fix - from the clogged sink to the pool of blood on the floor - and he knew how things were arranged here. But even without that, he would have had no trouble finding where to put everything, as the boy's logic and thoroughness made everything absolutely obvious. When he had finished, he took a sponge to clean the table and, when he came back, he threw the empty orange juice box in the bin. He stopped in his movement, however, with the lid of the bin open and the box still in his hand. The bag was almost empty, as Kakashi had probably emptied it before leaving, but at the bottom, he could see several compresses and pieces of paper covered with blood. It was not enough to be really worrying. If the boy had received a life-threatening injury, he would have bled a lot more, but it was always worrying to know that the boy had taken care of his wounds alone. He did not doubt his first aid skills, but rather his ability to take his own health seriously. Nevertheless, Kakashi was not as reckless as Obito. He would never let his stubbornness jeopardize his ninja abilities. The blood must have come from a superficial wound, otherwise the boy, even reluctantly, would have gone to the hospital.

Minato threw the empty box into the bin as Kakashi stood up, placing the sheath of his tanto on his back.

"I am ready.”

"Let's go, then.”

He put his sandals back on in the entrance and let Kakashi open the door for him before slipping outside and then out of the apartment complex into the street. The sun had already been up for a good hour and Konoha was vibrating to the rhythm of its daily activities. Civilians and ninjas crowded around them, so carefree and vacant that it was hard to believe that the war was still raging.

"Your mission went well?”

"No complications.”

"That’s great. Did you arrive home during the night?”

Kakashi nodded his head, but did not utter a word. By now Minato had become accustomed to the boy's saving of speech, and while many saw it as evidence of the young ninja's lack of interest and coldness, Minato knew that it was simply Kakashi's way of communicating. He had sometimes pointed out to the Hokage that the youngest member of his team had worrying deficiencies in the areas of socialisation and that there was obviously some teaching that had not been done, but the presence of Kakashi on mission and of the Yamanaka in interrogation rooms was far too important to justify the time wasted in initiating a process of resocialization. Such programs were only funded in peacetime. Minato simply hoped that peace would come quickly enough so that Kakashi could reach adulthood without too many gaps and shortcomings.

"You were able to make your report to the Hokage?”

"Yes. Before going home.”

"He was satisfied?”

"I think so. He said that this gave him reassurance in his decision.”

"To promote you?”

"Yes. Probably by the end of the year, according to him.”

"That's good. You deserve this promotion, Kakashi!”

The boy didn't answer, but he seemed to appreciate Minato's words and his friendly smile. Clearly, of all the ninjas his age, Kakashi was the one who cared the least about promotions. When Obito was still bragging about his appointment to the rank of Chunin from three months ago, Kakashi was barely talking about the Jonin's position the Hokage had just promised him two weeks earlier. Yet he knew that the boy was hungry for recognition, as was Obito. But when the Uchiha dreamed of titles, glory and congratulations, Kakashi only wanted to prove his abilities. This was easily explained by the life paths of the two boys, who were barely a year apart. Obito had been the black sheep of the Uchiha, and by many standards he probably still was. He had grown up knowing that he would never measure up, and that he was a black stain on his clan's reputation. Kakashi, on the other hand, had always been considered a prodigy, and the best ninja of his generation. So it was no surprise that Obito wanted the titles that would prove his skills, when Kakashi was only interested in skills to meet the expectations placed upon him.

"You know if I'm going to stay on the team," Kakashi asked as they entered the training field.

He was so surprised that the boy started the conversation on his own that Minato remained pensive for a moment.

"Mmh... I don't really know. I think you'll stay a little longer, while you learn Jonin's knowledges under my tutelage. And I'm sure that you'll be taking to lead with Rin and Obito on three-men missions. Apart from that, it will depend on the war. If it ends quickly, the Hokage will surely keep you in the team as long as you have something to learn. But if the situation drags on, Konoha needs to disperse its forces. You'll probably be sent to lead units, or on solo missions. They can't afford to have a Jonin staying in the village, but Rin and Obito are not ready to take on as many missions as you do. Why? Are you already in a hurry to leave us?”

"No. Not really.”

Minato was deeply surprised by the answer. In asking this question, with a smile that made it light and innocent, he expected two reactions. Depending on his mood, Kakashi would either rant about how Obito was slowing down his progress, or he would simply flatly announce that there was no question of being in a hurry, just of going where the village wanted him to go. This made the whispered answer even more worrying. Kakashi did not say what he wanted. And, above all, Minato couldn't imagine that Kakashi would want to stay on the team. He wasn't nearly idealistic enough to think the boy liked it. No matter how hard he tried to teach them team spirit and build friendship and bonds between them, he knew that Kakashi was paradoxically too experienced and too immature to understand this. If the Sensei did not doubt for a moment what this team could bring to Kakashi, he doubted that the young chunin was be able to understand it, let alone appreciate it. So to hear him announce clearly that he was in no hurry to leave the team was surprising. Where did this sudden turnaround come from?

"Kakashi, are you sure that..."

He was interrupted by the arrival of Rin who ran to them with a big smile, which he knew was more addressed to Kakashi than to him.

"Hello, Minato-Sensei! Hello, Kakashi-kun! What's up?"

She turned to Kakashi, her eyes shining with enthusiasm and her smile as wide as her face.

"How was your mission?”

"No complications. "Kakashi repeated, his voice as impassive as his gaze.

Rin didn't give up and, always with benevolence and enthusiasm, she started to explain to her team-mate what he had missed during the training of the day before. Kakashi let her speak, without seeming to pay the slightest attention to her. Minato couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. As long as her feelings didn't interfere with the team's laborious complicity, he didn't think it was useful for him to bring up the subject with the Kunoichi. And Rin was too smart and mature to let her emotions get the better of her. But Minato couldn't help thinking that when the heartbreak will arrive, because it will arrive, the girl was going to fall hard. He only hoped that, by then, Kakashi would have found enough empathy in him to act in the best possible way towards his comrade. The one-way discussion between the two children continued for long minutes and finally, almost three quarters of an hour after the appointment time, Obito arrived.

"Sorry! Sorry! I fell in the river! I had to go home and change!”

"Fell? How did you fall?”

"Well, I was running so I wouldn't be late. And there was this old dog in the middle of the street. I hadn't seen him, and I jumped to the side to avoid him at the last moment. And that's when I fell into the river.”

"You should be careful, though, Obito! "exclaimed Rin, worried. "You'll end up hurting yourself one day if you don't pay more attention.”

"Yes, I know... Sorry, Rin."

Obito then turned to Kakashi, already preparing for the sharp remark he was about to receive from his younger teammate, but the other boy said nothing. If his annoyance was clear on his face, he kept silent, which delighted Minato as much as it worried him.

"The important thing is that all four of us are present and ready to work. To reward you for your efforts of the day before, today is a taijutsu fight.”

"Seriously? "exclaimed Obito. "Great! I want to fight you, Sensei!”

"Calm down, Obito. First of all, you're going to fight each other. If one of you wins their two matches, they will have the right to fight me.”

"Like some kind of reward? "asked Obito.

"Exactly!”

"It's a bit pretentious to consider yourself as a reward," said Rin with an amused smile. "Even coming from you, Sensei. »

"I take advantage of this while you are still young enough to admire me blindly. It won't last forever, so let me enjoy it a little longer.”

"We will always admire you, Sensei!”

"That's kind, Rin. But believe me, sooner than you think, you'll change your mind and think I'm an old wreck.”

"You are already old, Sensei.”

"But not quite a wreck, yet.”

Minato hid his tears behind a smile, but the innocent insults soon seemed superficial in the face of the amused and proud faces of his two students. As he might have guessed, Kakashi was not part of the fun of the small team. He stood a few meters away, in the shade of a tree, close enough to be part of the group, but far enough away so as not to be caught up in its interactions. However, more surprisingly, he didn't seem to be annoyed, or about to ask with boredom when the training could begin. He was simply observing his team, with a distant curiosity in his eyes, as if he saw something unusual. For a moment, his black eyes fall into Minato's blue ones, but he immediately looked away, disciplining his face to make all traces of his thoughts disappear. This was a slightly surprising behavior, which the Sensei had just witnessed. Kakashi was probably exhausted from his mission. Or maybe something had happened to make his usual manias and preoccupations vain and superficial in his eyes. It was not uncommon, after a somewhat difficult mission, for a shinobi to behave a little differently in the days that followed, just enough time to digest what had happened. Usually everything returned to normal fairly quickly. Had Kakashi's mission been tough? In any case, Minato didn't want to try his luck. A day without a fight between his students seemed far too good to be true. He would spare Kakashi during training to give himself a clear conscience and, at the same time, take full advantage of the team's calmness.

"Well, let's go, before you find new ways to tell me how old I am. We'll start with Obito and Rin. Kakashi, come with me, let's give them some space.”

Kakashi followed him a little aside but remained standing when Minato sat down in seiza in the shade of a large tree. The Sensei questioned his pupil with his gaze but the pupil did not notice him, absorbed as he was in contemplation of the fight to come. The Jonin finally let go of his question. Kakashi probably thought that the fight was not going to last long. Instead, he turned his attention to the other two students.

"No ninjutsu, no genjutsu. Only taijutsu. You can use your kunai and shuriken, though. Be careful for your opponent, I don't want any serious injury. Understood?”

"Yes, Sensei! "exclaimed the two fighters before adopting their position.

"Good. Hajime.”

Rin and Obito rushed towards each other and engaged in their fight. Although the two children were close friends and did not want to hurt each other, habit and practice had taught them how to fight each other without putting themselves in danger. So even though their blows were respectful, they were ruthless and assertive.

While Obito was more enduring and stronger, Rin was not easily foughr. She had much better control of her body, her speed and precision easily overpowering that of her friend. In addition, she was calmer and smarter, and her fighting strategies were much more effective and creative. Nevertheless, she was a kunoichi who spent most of her time training her medical skills, while Obito devoted all his energy to the learning of ninjutsu and taijutsu. So much so that the fight was very balanced and particularly interesting to watch, even for ninjas of a higher level. Kakashi carefully observed the way Rin used her speed to compensate for her muscular weakness, and how Obito oscillated between following his fighting habits learned through training and experience, and improvising in the face of Rin's daring strategies. Minato guessed that the youngest, although focused, was not impressed. For him, a strength did not make up for a weakness, and it was unworthy of a Ninja that Obito allowed himself to be so inefficient and Rin so weak. And Minato could hardly blame him. He knew that the young prodigy's efforts to always make up for his weaknesses were always more and more important, so seeing his comrade's weaknesses as glaring as they were must surely have made him furious that they didn't apply to them the same rigor he applied to himself. However, Kakashi did not make the slightest comment. He remained silent and when half an hour later Rin managed to catch Obito in a particularly well-placed trap, he made no comment on his teammate's defeat.

"Wow, Rin! You are so impressive! "Obito exclaimed, visibly genuinely delighted by his friend's success.

"Thank you, Obito. You fought well too! "Rin murmured, blushing slightly at the compliment.

"Both of you did a great job. I see that you have taken into account the remarks I made last time. You must continue in that direction. Obito, you can't go into confrontation without thinking, as you did today. Most of the time you will come across adult ninjas who have natural advantages that you don't have. They will be stronger, they will have better reach, and they will have more experience. This kind of rush is unforgiving. Don't start a move if you don't know exactly what the next three are going to be. And you, Rin, I know that medicine takes a lot of time and study, but it is essential that you don't neglect your training in other ninja arts, especially taijutsu. And even more so if, as you said, you want to become a medic on the front line.”

"Yes, Sensei. "replied the two students with seriousness and determination.

"Well, I'd like to see Obito and Kakashi next. Rin, come and sit down.”

The three children complied and soon Kakashi took his place in front of Obito in the centre of the clearing. The fight was brief. Usually, before a confrontation between the two boys, Obito would manage to enrage Kakashi enough to make the fight explosive and the younger of the two would take malicious pleasure in prolonging the defeat and humiliation of the older one. But this time it was not like that. Kakashi's face was so cold, so impenetrable, that even Obito seemed anxious as he moved into position. Despite the bad feeling he could sense in him, Minato announced the start of the fight. The two boys rushed towards each other. Kakashi was ruthless. Every gesture he made, every action he took was aimed at hurting. He didn't give Obito a chance, slipping underneath his defense and hitting him repeatedly in the chest, legs and face. One would have thought that this was just a fight between two shinobis of completely different levels, but Minato sensed that there was something else going on. Kakashi didn't hit to win, he hit to hurt. He aimed in priority at the stomach, the ribs, the shins, ignoring the most essential points to concentrate on the most sensitive ones. And there was something in his eyes. Something that was like furious and icy cruelty. Minato didn't need more than two minutes of fighting to understand that his youngest pupil was desperate to make his team-mate suffer. He was going to end the confrontation but didn't get the chance. Kakashi had just grabbed Obito's forearm in one hand, twisting it violently to prevent him from moving. Then, clenching his fist and impregnating it with chakra, he began to hit Obito in the lower abdomen, just below part of his belly. Obito immediately spat on the impact and started coughing violently, but that didn't stop Kakashi who struck again. Then a third and a fourth one, always in the same place. Obito opened his mouth but couldn't manage to scream, the pain remaining stuck in his throat as he fell to his knees, unable to bear his own weight. But that didn't stop the young Chunin who continued to hit his teammate again and again.

"Kakashi! "shouted Minato, frightened and furious.

"I-I give up!”

But Kakashi struck another blow after Obito's plea, which was the limit never to be crossed. Minato, using his incomparable speed, rushed towards his pupils. Slipping into his back, he put his arm around Kakashi's waist and lifted him off the ground. Feeling his presence, Kakashi, as if in a sudden panic, began to try to get out of the grip, fighting fiercely against Minato, so that Minato was forced to put his second arm around the boy's neck. Not enough to block his breathing, but enough to block his movements.

"Kakashi. Calm down right away.”

The boy, seeing that he could no longer move, calmed down immediately, no longer opposing the grip of his Sensei, who finally released him.

"What's gotten into you, Kakashi," Minato asked, trying as best he could not let his anger overwhelm him.

Even at the height of the tension between the two boys, he had never seen such behavior.

"Obito had given up. How could you keep hitting him after that?”

The Sensei tried to control his tone, but his eyes shone with a hard and unforgiving glow.

"That's not how it works," Kakashi replied, teeth grinding and fists clenched. "On a mission, there is no giving up. The enemy won't stop just because you said the magic words.”

"We're not on a mission here, you idiot! "shouted Obito, kneeling in the grass, his arms pressed against his belly, coughing his sudden excess of saliva.

Rin was crouching beside him, trying to get him to let go of his belly so he could examine it, but Obito was too bent over in pain for her to see anything. Kakashi just stared at the prostrate boy and answered clearly.

"Just because you don't want something to go on doesn't mean it's going to stop.”

Minato squinted his eyes. All minds were heated, so he had to remain calm, but Kakashi had just crossed a line he had never imagined and could not forgive.

"Kakashi," he began in a voice so calm that it became frightening. "Explain yourself, now. You'd better have an excellent explanation for what just happened, because I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my team.”

The voice was icy, authoritarian and threatening. But Kakashi just stared at it with defiance and anger.

"Well, kick me out. I'm going to become Jonin anyway. I don't need a team. Let alone the three of you.”

Immediately Minato realized that something much more serious must be bubbling beneath the surface. Kakashi wasn't well, he knew it. He had never been so aggressive, so opposed. There was an underlying problem, a serious one, Minato was convinced. But he couldn't dig any deeper. If he backed off now, and tried a softer, more understanding approach, it would minimize what had happened with Obito. The boy would then have every reason to believe that his Sensei was putting Kakashi's satisfaction before his own safety and well-being. Obito had been attacked by Kakashi, that was undeniable, and Minato couldn't let that happen. Even though he knew he didn't have all the information.

"Kakashi, I'm relieving you of your duties. Give me your headband.”

Kakashi did what was asked, furious and trembling but with this aggressiveness still latent in his eyes.

"You'd better go home and think about what happened today. I'll come back and see you later and we'll talk about what happened when you've calmed down. But don't think for a moment that this incident won't have serious consequences.”

Kakashi's glance seemed to hesitate for a moment and, for a second, Minato thought that he was much younger than he seemed a few seconds before. He thought the boy was going to say something, apologize, beg Minato not to let him go. But he didn't. The chunin simply turned around, with a stiff back, and headed back to the village. For a moment the Sensei felt a deep sense of anxiety in the pit of his stomach and hesitated to catch up with his pupil. But Obito coughed again, growling in pain, and Minato let the boy go. He had to take the Uchiha to the hospital. The rest could wait.

* * *

* * *

Kakashi opened his eyes wide, his vision blurred by sweat. He leapt to his feet, ignoring the pain that was tearing his belly after such a movement, and looked around him.

It was his flat. It was just a nightmare. A stupid nightmare.

Carefully, so as not to make the latent pain worse, Kakashi got up. He had fallen asleep on his blankets, exhausted from lack of sleep, but his restless night had left him even more exhausted. He stood up on his legs, his bare feet against the warm wood of the floor. Outside, the sun was beginning to set. He must have slept and struggled with his nightmares for a good two hours at least. Cautiously, he walked to the bathroom, turning on the tap, setting it to the coldest temperature. With trembling hands, he formed a cup to collect the icy liquid and sprayed his face with it. This had the merit of putting his thoughts back in place and chasing away the last bits of his night terrors. Once his breathing and hands had calmed down, he went to the toilet and lowered his trousers before sitting down. It was almost invisible on the dark, thick fabric of the uniform, which he hadn't taken the time to remove, but there was still a bit of blood, some fresh stains on some older ones. Hesitantly, fearing the capricious pain, he took the time to wipe himself dry before dropping the blood-soaked paper into the bowl and flushing the toilet. He pulled up his trousers and sighed for a long time before reaching the other room. He didn't really know what to do. He was exhausted, that was for sure. But even though he was ashamed to admit it to himself, he was afraid of falling asleep and having more nightmares. In spite of the physical and mental fatigue, in spite of his eyelids closing on their own, he had no desire to fall asleep. Maybe he could take a book and read a little. There was this old folklore book from the Land of Wind that he had never taken the time to start. This was his chance. Lying on his back, the pain was almost non-existent, he could read a good part of the night. It's not as if he had anything to do tomorrow anyway.

Decidedly, he went to his library when he heard knocking at the door. He did not need to check the chakra to guess who it was. After all, there was only one person who could come and see him here. For a few moments he contemplated the idea of not answering. Simply to ignore his Sensei, just as he longed to ignore the events of the day. But there was another round of blows, and Kakashi knew that any attempt to escape the confrontation would be in vain. So, needlessly checking that his mask was in place, he went to the door and opened it. Minato was indeed standing on the other side, his eyes dark and serious

"Good evening, Kakashi.”

The boy didn't answer, clutching his hands around the door handle, feeling the anxiety rising inside him. The anger had left him soon after the incident and now he was simply terrified that he had disappointed the man for whom he had such admiration. It was all because of that crybaby Obito who couldn't take a few blows without flinching. At this thought, finally, a hint of anger was reborn in Kakashi, not enough to erase the fear of disappointment, but enough to give him courage. He had every right to be angry with the other idiot. If Obito were less of a wimp, maybe the village wouldn't always have to send Kakashi on such a mission.

"We have to talk. "Minato continued, probably unaware of his student's thoughts.

"I don't have an obligation to let you into my home.”

"No, indeed. We can talk outside just as well. In any case, Kakashi, we will talk.”

The boy hesitated for a moment but finally stepped aside and left the door open before moving towards the bed. He took advantage of the few seconds during which Minato took off his shoes to go and sit on the edge of the bed, hiding from his Sensei the flash of pain and the tense breathing that he could not have concealed if the Jonin had looked at him.

Minato finally came back to him and pulled the chair to sit opposite Kakashi.

"Have you calm down, now?”

The question was humiliating, and Kakashi's fists clenched against the bed sheet. He immediately had a flash, the image of those same fists clenched around the sheet of a very different bed, and he immediately released his fingers, slipping his hands into his pockets to hide their shaking.

"I would like you tell me what happened, there, Kakashi.”

The voice of the Sensei was suddenly much softer and more concerned than a few seconds earlier, surprising Kakashi. The Jonin had a worried glow in his eyes, which the chunin didn't understand. What could be so worrying? Certainly, Kakashi understood that his behavior was inappropriate. But he expected anger or disappointment from his Sensei. Certainly not... that. What could possibly justify that? Something serious had happened?

"Obito...? "Kakashi finally asked.

"He's fine. He was released from the hospital just now, he won't have any after-effects.”

Then nothing serious had happened. Why did the Sensei react like that?

"If it's an apology you want, I'll go see..."

"These are not apologies I'm waiting for, Kakashi. Even if you’ll have to offer some at some point. What I want is an explanation.”

"An explanation for what?”

"For your behavior, Kakashi.”

The sentence had been uttered a bit faster than the rest of the conversation, suggesting that the Sensei was struggling to control his frustration. Kakashi immediately looked down. He didn't want to annoy Minato any more than he already was, but he didn't really know what he was supposed to say.

"I... Obito made me angry and... I didn't control myself. I'm sorry, Sensei. I don't really know what you want me to explain.”

"What made you so angry? For once, you hadn't argued, no insults were uttered. What could have upset you so much?”

"Nothing."

"Kakashi, I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers. I'll stay the whole night if I have to.”

"But it was nothing! "exclaimed Kakashi, annoyed again. "Him! He is the one who pissed me off!”

"But why?"

"Because he's stupid, and superficial, and weak, and useless! Because he always talks about becoming the best ninja, but he can barely handle a kunai. He doesn't know anything about anything. He's an ignorant kid who spends his time talking about things he doesn't know anything about. He shouts incessantly that he wants to be Hokage, but he should begin by actually doing the work that is given to him. By trying not to be a constant disappointment. If at least he could do things right, then... "

"Then, what?"

Kakashi didn't answer, just looked down. He could feel his hands shaking against his thighs, hidden by the fabric of his pockets, but this time more out of rage than fear. However, he didn't add anything. He gritted his teeth and fell silent. Minato-Sensei couldn't understand. He and his stupid habit of believing that every ninja had value and was more than just a tool. He wouldn't understand why Kakashi was right to be angry that he was the only one who really understood his place. The only one to really be a ninja, when the other children of his generation were only dreaming stupidly and absurdly.

"Kakashi? Then what?"

"Forget it.”

"No, I won't forget it. This is important.”

Feeling that his Sensei wouldn't let him get away with it, Kakashi simply shrugged his shoulders with the greatest disinterest he could muster.

"I just wish Obito wasn't such a burden all the time.”

He knew that this kind of sentence would irritate his Sensei and change the subject of conversation into a long lecture about the need to respect one's comrades. But it didn't happen. Minato was simply staring at him silently, his eyes still as grave, still as impenetrable.

"Kakashi... I sincerely believe that the problem is not Obito. I think there's something else on your mind. And I think that talking to me about it won't make things worse. Quite the contrary.”

"I don't know what you're talking about.”

And if the tone was a little defensive, it was nonetheless sincere. The problem was Obito! What else could it be? Minato stared at him for a moment, seeming to judge his reactions, but he must have seen that he was sincere because he ended up sighing deeply.

“Very well," he said. “If you say so. But when you understand what's wrong, I beg you, Kakashi, try to remember that I'll always be there to help you. That is my role.”

"Yes, Sensei. "he replied without emotion, more to satisfy Minato than to acquiesce to what had just been said.

Kakashi had no problem. And he didn't need help to be a good ninja. He already was.

"I also want you to apologize to Obito. When you do, I'll think about taking you back on the team.”

"All right, Sensei. I'll go and see him tomorrow.”

He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he preferred it to being suspended. Minato glanced at him one last time, as if to encourage him to make a last confession if he realized he had forgotten to say something, but Kakashi remained silent and placid. Finally, the sensei stood up. The Chunin wanted to imitate him to go and open the door for him but he could not hold back a slight grimace of pain as he got up with a sudden gesture. This time Minato saw him, and his eyes immediately betrayed his alarm.

"Kakashi? Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

"No, everything is fine.”

"Yet..."

"Just a few sore muscles after my mission. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix.”

Minato looked at him, but Kakashi remained upright and indifferent under this barely concealed judgment. This must have convinced the Sensei sufficiently, since he ended up acquiescing.

"Alright. But take a painkiller, even a light one. The pain contracts your muscles and slows down their healing.”

"Yes, Sensei. I'm going to do that.”

"I'll get it for you.”

"I can go.”

"I know, but my mind would be much more peaceful if I see you taking it.”

Kakashi answered nothing and let the man go to the bathroom where he kept his pharmacy. He knew he couldn't stop him anyway. Quickly reviewing his injuries, the boy wondered if there were any bruises on his face that would worry Minato a little more. He had nothing to hide. His condition wasn't serious at all, he hadn't done anything wrong and had even taken care of his wounds. At least most of them. Minato couldn't blame him for anything, even if he were to see some of the wounds. But something inside him told Kakashi that he didn't want his sensei to find out anything. He didn't know why, but the mere thought of Minato knowing what had happened on the mission frightened him. There was nothing to be ashamed of. He had accomplished his mission. Like the excellent ninja he was. If anything, he even deserved praise. But he had the impression that his wounds would be much more painful if they had to bear the weight of Minato's gaze. No, it was better to keep this to himself. He had no duty to inform his instructor of a mission he had done on his own.

"Kakashi...”

"Yes, Sensei?"

The boy turned around and froze immediately. His sensei was in the bathroom doorway and he was staring at what was in his hand. A pair of uniform trousers stained with blood. The ones he had worn on his return from his mission. The Jonin, slowly, with furrowed eyebrows, unfolded the garment, pointing to the large stain on the back of the trousers, and in a white voice, he asked:

"What kind of wound have make this stain, Kakashi?"

* * *

* * *

The Sandaime took a deep breath, the smoky air flowing from his pipe to his throat and lungs. Smoking was a bad habit, he knew it. A bad habit that he had surely passed on to his son, if one was to believe his Sensei who had caught him exhaling the toxic fumes of tobacco behind the wall of the Onsen. But he was hopeful that with enough lecturing, he would be able to cut this bad habit at its root in his youngest son. No, that wasn't what he was worried about. On the long list of causes of his worries, which included the war, the imminent death of a Jonin who had returned from missions with injuries too serious for him to ever see his daughter again, the catastrophic financial state of Konoha, the rogue ninja who had fled with information vital to the safety of the land of fire, the future promotion of a child of just 11 years of age to the rank of Master making him a case without precedent in the history of Konoha, the ever-growing anger of the clans faced with the repeated loss of their children too promising to stay in the village. All in all, Asuma's unruly wanderings were low on his list of concerns, and Hiruzen knew this made him a bad father. But a good Hokage. He hoped that one day his bitter son would understand this. Sometimes he even caught himself dreaming that Asuma would become the next Hokage, because at last he would see what kind of heartbreaking dilemmas he was constantly facing. Then he would picture his son again, so surly, so undisciplined, and he knew the idea was ridiculous. His son would never have the same political talent as him, would never be able to make the heart-wrenching choices he had to make on a daily basis. Which was exactly why the boy would be a much better Hokage, because a much better person than Hiruzen.

"Namikaze Minato wants to see you, Hokage-Sama.”

This was the voice of the ANBU in charge of his protection. She was not visible in the room, but Hiruzen could feel her presence at all times. It was relatively irritating, but an absolute necessity in these troubled times both outside Konoha and within its own walls.

"Bring him in.”

He had no idea what Minato wanted with him at such a late hour of the night - so late, in fact, that the Hokage should not even have been in his office - but he always made it a point of honour to receive the men and women who gave their lives for the village, whatever their concerns. And there was concern, Hiruzen could guess, as soon as he saw the Yellow Flash appear before him. The young man's face, usually so smiling and bright, was dark and nervous, his blue eyes seemed almost black in the darkness, while his anxious fingers wiggled around the bottom of Jonin's jacket, as if to reassure and calm himself. Hiruzen immediately closed the scroll he was busy observing and turned his full attention to the Jonin.

"Hokage-Sama, I am sorry to bother you at this hour. But..."

Minato didn’t finish his sentence, his eyes sweeping across the desk without stopping or focusing.

"Sit down, Minato. Can I get you some tea?"

"No thanks, Hokage-Sama. That's all right. "said the sensei while sitting down on one of the chairs in front of the desk.

But Hiruzen decided to ignore him. He was gifted at knowing what others needed, even more so than the said others. So, he got up and went to serve two cups of tea from the still smoking kettle on one of the shelves. He then returned to his desk and put the drink down in front of Minato, who grabbed it without a word, as if he barely realized what he was holding in his hands. Hiruzen returned to his seat and again focused his attention on the unusually nervous Jonin.

"What's on your mind like that, Minato.”

"It's about Kakashi, Hokage-Sama. It... it's about his last mission.”

Sarutobi remained silent, but sighed inwardly. He knew exactly where this conversation was going to go. This kind of subject was always sensitive and while the Hokage knew that the right choices had been made, he also knew that it was no less difficult to accept. He himself would stay up all night long, torn by the reality of certain ninjas, so he could easily imagine the thoughts that were racing through Minato's mind. For he had the same ones. The fact that he was the one who had to make this kind of decision didn't make it any easier.

Hiruzen discreetly made the gesture to ask his ANBU guard to leave him alone, which she did without discussion. In the midst of this silence, visibly uncomfortable, Minato resumed in an uncertain but determined voice.

"When I went to his apartment, I saw that one of his uniform trousers was covered in blood.”

"And did you talk to him about it?”

"Yes, I asked him what had caused this injury..."

Hiruzen knew that Minato could rightly guess the origin of such a trail of blood. The Jonin was not a civilian. He had seen more than his share of wounds and he knew how to differentiate each one of them. But when these wounds struck a little too close, there was always that strange hesitation, that doubt which would never have been allowed under other circumstances. Like those ninjas who were unable to understand that the wound they had just received was mortal, or who could not be convinced that the corpse they had in their hands had long ago left this world. If Minato had seen this uniform without knowing who it belonged to, he would have understood. But here he allowed himself to doubt his judgement.

"What did Kakashi rsay?”

"Nothing. At least nothing that answers the question. He said it was a mission wound. Nothing serious. That he had taken care of it. I asked him if he went to the hospital, but he repeated that he had taken care of it. I... I asked to see the wound. I wanted to make sure he had done it right, that there was no risk of infection. That it was as minor as he said it was.”

"And he showed it to you?”

"No. He... He became very aggressive all of a sudden. He said he had no duty to show me anything. That I couldn't suspend him from the team and then come to his house and give him orders. I tried to calm him down, tell him I just wanted to make sure he was OK. I tried to get closer to him but he backed away as if I had hit him and he ordered me to leave. He looked so angry, as if he was going to attack me at any moment. I... preferred to leave. I don't know if it was the right thing to do but...".

"If he wanted you to leave, you did well to leave. »

Minato lowered his head slightly, visibly unconvinced. The Hokage, for his part, gently brought the pipe to his lips and took a long breath before blowing the smoke that rose in the air in a lazy and changing cloud.

"So," Minato resumed after a while, "I thought there might be a chance that you would give me the answers I'm looking for. You've read his report, haven't you?”

"What do you suspect, Minato?”

The Sensei raised his head to meet Hiruzen's eyes. He chewed his lip for a moment, as if he was trying to convince himself that all his worries were futile, or as if he feared Hokage's reaction, but finally his dark eyes froze, determined, and he spoke again in a voice that he was obviously trying to make cold and professional.

"I think Kakashi was sexually assaulted on his last mission.”

Once again, Hiruzen remained silent. His eyes lost themselves on one of the large windows in his office. Behind it, the night was impenetrable, only lit by moonlight. He could see a few ninjas jumping from roof to roof to where their duty or their desires called them. In the street, restaurants and bars projected orange colours, flickering to the rhythm of the smoky atmosphere. Despite the war, the village gave the illusion of peace and security. Not for everyone, however. For some, war was constant, even in their dreams. And the Hokage knew he could not protect them all. He couldn't protect Kakashi. And he couldn't spare Minato either.

The Hokage's lack of reaction and surprise must have encouraged Minato in his idea because he tried again, with more impatience.

"Perhaps he was caught by the enemy. Maybe it was used as a mean of torture to make him talk. That would explain why he doesn't want to talk to me about it. He probably thinks that I would be disappointed to hear that he was captured. But I know him, he wouldn't have lied in his report. He must surely have said, perhaps in an implied way, that... "

"Kakashi was not attacked by the enemy.”

Hiruzen could see that Minato had difficulty refraining his questions, but the Jonin finally fell silent, suspecting that the answers would come if he was prepared to listen.

"That was his mission?”

"I... don't understand.”

"You must surely know that the front against Iwa has retreated inland. They are barely three hours from the first civilian village. Yutaka is one of the most important producers of raw materials in the Land of Fire. If we lose this village, we lose the war. But the land between Yutaka and the front line has been given by the Daimyo to one of his subjects and we need his permission to build the outpost that will allow us to supply the front line more easily and therefore to hold it. The said subject, Lord Jaaku, is far from being an idiot. He knows how important he is in Konoha's affairs. He knows that he had the right to ask for anything, and that Konoha would be forced to comply, at the cost of hundreds, if not thousands of fellow countrymen's lives.”

"And, what did he ask?”

"For us to please him.”

"And Kakashi was sent... to please him.”

Hiruzen simply nodded his head in front of the wide eyes of Minato who slowly understood what he had already guessed.

"W-why?" he whispered, visibly unable to find any logic in what had just been said.

"Because it was necessary, Minato. He wanted a prepubescent boy. It was the only way he would allow us to build on his land.”

"But... why Kakashi?"

The question had been asked in a white, uncertain, almost fragile voice. As if it itself didn't dare to be heard. And Hiruzen knew this kind of question very well. Why was it my daughter who had to die and not the neighbour's? Why was it my friend who was captured and tortured, and not a ninja I don't know? Since he had taken Hokage's position, Sarutobi had the impression that he spent his days answering this kind of question. He knew that Minato had seen enough of the atrocity of war and the ruthlessness of shinobi's life to understand why Kakashi's mission was necessary. He simply couldn't accept that it was Kakashi who had to do it.

"You mean why your student and not someone else's student? "Hiruzen asked in a soft voice, but Minato immediately took a defensive stance.

"No, that's not what I mean! But... Kakashi has been through enough already, don't you think? He has seen and live enough. Can't we leave him alone now? Haven't we asked enough of him? It's as if... "

He stopped in the middle of his sentence, surely realizing that his thought was out of place and that it would be a brazen lack of respect to share it with his superior. But Hiruzen leaned forward slightly.

"As if what, Minato?”

He was neither threatening nor suspicious. He knew that it was important for the Jonin to share what was in his heart. Despite what the Ninja rules might say, keeping this kind of emotion to oneself could only be toxic in the long run.

"As if you consider that he is already too destroyed for further damage to be really that serious...”

"That's not it, Minato. »

The Jonin did not reply, but the way he looked down and frowned, Hiruzen could easily guess the resentment he was keeping to himself. Minato was too loyal to the village to pick on his Hokage's decisions, but that did not mean that he was not capable of resenting him bitterly. Without a word, Sarutobi took out of his office a heavy file of more than a hundred information sheets. He looked through them cautiously, taking the time to detail them, and one by one he pulled out all the sheets concerning ninjas under fourteen years of age. He then spread them out on the desk, in front of Minato's eyes, before resuming in a soft voice, as if not to seem threatening nor accusatory.

"Tell me, Minato. Which one should I have sent?”

Minato obviously did not answer. There was nothing to answer. He avoided looking at these papers, as if the innocent looks of all these ninjas - these children, really - judged him beyond what he could bear. He could see Obito and Rin, a broad smile on their faces, their foreheads proud of their recent graduation.

"It's normal that you don't have an answer, Minato. You don't have to have any. But I do.”

Taking his time, Hiruzen took the information sheets, stacked them carefully and put them back in the file.

"I chose Kakashi, not because I've given up on the idea that he can overcome his traumas, but because he is the one it will destroy the least.”

"How can you say such a..."

"He is the one with the most experience.”

Minato fell silent once again, his blue eyes widening as he slowly understood what had just been said to him.

"You... He has done this kind of mission before.”

"Yes. Each time, it is an impossible decision to make. But it has happened before.”

"Since when? How long has it been going on?”

"He had just been promoted Chunin, the first time. There were these children who were disappearing. All of them under 10 years old, all over the eastern part of the Land of Fire. Child trafficking was suspected. Probably the sale of children to some foreign Lords. But, even if we had the possibility of arresting the kidnappers, we needed someone on the inside to trace them back to the organizers. Normally, this kind of mission is entrusted to the ANBU, but in that situation, Kakashi was the only ninja of Konoha of that age, the only one who could do this mission.”

"And the fact that he no longer had parents or anyone to care for him didn't help the decision, I suppose. "Minato asked bitterly.

"It was him, or let dozens of children be kidnapped, raped, sold and killed. Kakashi knew what he was doing. He knew that he was sacrificing himself for the good of the country, just as you are willing to sacrifice yourself on the battlefield. I'm not saying that this makes everything acceptable. A world in which this kind of thing happens is a insane and monstrous world, and whatever the only solution is, it is by no means a good one. But we are doing the right thing. We are fighting for peace, and for a world where this kind of thing doesn't happen even in the worst nightmares. In the meantime, Kakashi has taken on this mission, because he knows how to do it, and because it is the duty of all of us, as Ninja.”

During his tirade, Hiruzen had seen Minato gradually lower his head until his eyes stubbornly set down on his tea, which he had not touched. His fingers, made white by the agitation, were clenched around the cup, but he remained silent. The Hokage knew that his subordinate was not blind enough to ignore the reality of the ninja world. And, whether he accepted it or not, Minato knew that what had happened to Kakashi was inevitable. But that didn’t made the idea bearable.

"So that's what being Hokage is all about? "asked the young man in a white and disgusted voice.

"Not only that. Do you doubt your dream?"

Only silence answered and Hiruzen sighed.

"You won't be that kind of Hokage. You are made for peace, Minato. And you will take over from me so that atrocities will not be repeated. At a time when such despair will no longer be the motivation for our actions. But, in the meantime, yes, being Hokage means making this kind of decision, even if it is impossible to live with it.”

And that it meant spending his nights wondering whether the young Kakashi would ever be able to understand what the village had done to him.

"And what am I supposed to do?"

Minato had just asked this question to his cup of tea, so Hiruzen didn't answer. But soon the Jonin's astonishingly juvenile blue eyes got lost in his own, visibly desperate for some advice, any advice at all. Just a semblance of an answer.

"What am I supposed to do with him? "Minato replied.

"You're already doing a lot. Even I, who doesn't get to know the boy that much, can see how much he respects you and how much he trusts you. You offer a lot to him, I know that.”

"He doesn't want my help. You should have seen him tonight. He seemed so angry with me... "

"Despite his file and years of experience, Kakashi is still an extremely young boy struggling with concepts he barely understands. You have to have faith in yourself, Minato. He needs you, whether he accepts it or not. And you can't abandon him just because he asks for it.”

"But I can't force him to accept my help either. That would probably be the worst thing to do.”

"But it is up to you to make him understand that what he is going through is serious and destructive and that he needs help. He doesn't have the maturity to understand it alone. Not today, at least. He needs you.”

Minato did not answer. Didn't nod. But something in his eyes suggested that he had understood what was being said, just as he had understood what he had to do.

The Jonin was wrong, Hiruzen thought. He was wrong when he said that Kakashi didn't have anyone to care for him. The Hokage may have failed in many ways, but he always made sure that the shinobi and kunoichi who were ready to die for him were never really alone.

* * *

* * *

Kakashi was lying in the darkness, eyes wide open, sleeping was hardly a vague idea in his exhausted mind. He had the book he had just finished on his lap, having read it from cover to cover without understanding a word of it. The day he had just lived through played out again and again in his head, like a disaster recreating itself in slow motion. The boy didn't know why he couldn't control his damn emotions, as he was so used to doing. He had attacked his Sensei. Or had been about to. And he couldn't even remember exactly why. Every time he thought about it, he felt that vague anger, that tenacious resentment again, but he couldn't understand the exact reason, no matter how much time he spent dwelling on it.

Minato-Sensei would never forgive him. He was really going to be kicked off the team. Kakashi rolled to his side, grimaced slightly in pain but quickly drove it out of his mind. He couldn't wait to become a Jonin, but he dreaded leaving the team. In the end, all things considered, he didn't hate the missions in the village that much. No matter what that whining Obito said, it wasn't so bad. He obviously wanted to use his time more intelligently than that. Going back to the frontline or infiltrating enemy territory. But finding cats wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him. But now that he had attacked Obito and got angry at Minato-Sensei, it was certain that he wouldn't be kept on the team. After all, he was used to it. Before having been taken in Minato's team he had been placed in many other units and all those short assignments had ended up in a transfer for him. He shouldn't feel so bad. It wasn't his fault if Obito was a weakling and Minato was much too sensitive for his rank of Jonin.

The growing glow outside took Kakashi by surprise. He had been up all night without realizing it. Perhaps he would sleep more easily in daylight. This behavior annoyed the young boy greatly. He was about to become a ninja master, a shinobi capable of leading units and training students, he had more than five years of experience in war and combat, and was about to invent a Grade A jutsu on his own. That he behaved like a frightened little boy made him angry with himself.

To get out of his gloomy thoughts, he straightened up and went to open his curtains a little more. His gait was stiff and painful, but he had no training today. At least he had the opportunity to give his body time to heal completely, before the Hokage decided to transfer him to another team.

He was going to put down the book he had left on the bedside table when he heard someone knocking at the door. Carefully, without making the slightest noise and checking that his chakra was well hidden, he approached the door. Probably someone came to tell him that he had been summoned to the Hokage's office. Kakashi didn't like the idea. He could bear to be transferred, but he didn't like the idea of a stranger knocking on his door. He looked through the peephole and was surprised to discover Minato on the other side. He had all the faults in the world, but he was still the most determined ninja Kakashi knew. And no matter how much he feared a new confrontation, something deep inside him was relieved to see his superior's characteristic blond hair and blue eyes. The boy would never admit it, but sometimes he appreciated the man's presence. Skillfully camouflaging his anxiety, the Chunin opened the door.

"Hello, Kakashi! "exclaimed Minato, with a happy and benevolent smile, even before an awkward silence had time to settle between them.

"Hello.”

Kakashi didn't know what the man might still want from him. Especially as he didn't seem to be there to lecture him any more, judging by his light and relaxed demeanor. It was as if the multiple incidents of the day before had not happened.

"I don't like the way our conversation ended yesterday. I was thinking that maybe you'd like to have breafast with me.”

"I don't feel like going out. »

"It’s lucky I've got some takeaway, then!”

And as if to illustrate his point, Minato showed the bags he was carrying in his hand, decorated with the symbol of one of the Jonin's favourite restaurants. Kakashi had no desire to talk about what had happened the day before. Or anything at all, for that matter. Generally speaking, the less he communicated, the better he was doing. But he couldn't deny that a part of him seemed infinitely relieved at the idea that Minato didn't hold a grudge against him and he had no desire to ignore his Sensei's friendly proposal, especially since he thought no less than a few seconds ago that he was about to be transferred. If a meal and a discussion was the price to pay for staying under the command of the Yellow Flash, he was ready to make an effort. If he explained himself, they could put the whole thing behind them.

Anxious but convinced by this idea, Kakashi said nothing but opened the door slightly, enough for the man to enter. Minato smiled at him a little more and, after taking off his shoes, he went to put the bags on the table. If he saw Kakashi's grimace when the boy sat down, he made no comment, simply taking out the different dishes and the wooden chopsticks.

The food looked good, Kakashi thought. It was obvious that the Sensei had made sure to take dishes that he liked, neither too heavy nor too sweet. The boy quickly thanked him, in a whisper, before approaching one of the grilled fish. He lowered his mask before bringing the food closer to his mouth. Minato was probably the only person with whom he could bear the idea of not having a mask. Rin and Obito had seen his face too, but he was still not comfortable with the idea. Minato, on the other hand, hedidn't think about it for a moment and didn't feel the slightest discomfort at the thought of the Sensei seeing him.

He put the piece of fish on his tongue and chewed it slowly. He was absolutely not hungry. He hadn't eaten for almost 48 hours, but his stomach was upset and was already protesting the mere thought of eating anything. But he suspected that Minato would be even more worried if he didn't see him touch his food. So he forced himself to fill his mouth a little, and took his time chewing so that he could swallow more easily and only smaller quantities.

"Did you sleep well?”

It was a bit awkward for a conversation starter, and Kakashi just nodded his head, confident that he could mask his tiredness. Talking about it wouldn't give him a night's sleep, so there was no point in saying anything.

"I'm not..."

Minato stopped before he could continue his sentence. He obviously didn't really know what to say. He took a bite of fish, chewed for a moment and then put his chopsticks down with a sigh. Meanwhile, Kakashi, sensing the conversation was coming, kept his face as impassive as possible.

"Do you want to talk about the mission of the day before yesterday?”

"No, not really.”

"But I think it would be good if you talked about it anyway, Kakashi. Even if it might seem painful, or useless.”

"It's not painful," Kakashi immediately defended himself.

He could talk about it. He had no problem with it. He just didn't feel like it. He preferred to eat in silence.

"I understand it's a topic you don't want to talk about," Minato continued in a voice as soft as it was cautious. "But I still think it's important. It may seem like a mission like any other, but it's not. And... if not for you, then at least for me. It would reassure me if we could talk about it and understand what happened according to you.”

Kakashi didn't feel like talking. Neither about that, nor about any other subject. There was this thing, deep inside his stomach, this strange feeling of shame that grew and grew heavier. He didn't really understand it, he didn't know what to be ashamed of, but he just wanted to hide his head in his arms until it was all over. However, Minato's eyes were so caring and benevolent, and his voice so soft, his chakra so reassuring. Kakashi assumed that if he really had to talk about it, it might well be Minato. He would always have time to hide afterwards.

"Okay, but I don't want to go into all the details. I have other things to do with my time.”

"Of course. It's just a few questions, and if you don't want to answer them, you can just tell me, we'll move on. Okay?”

Kakashi just shrugged his shoulders. Whatever.

"How often does this kind of mission happen?”

Minato had completely forgotten about breakfast, and was now focusing all his attention on Kakashi, keeping his hands flat on the table as if to show that he was of no danger. This suited the boy very well. All he wanted was to ignore the food in front of him. So he put down his chopsticks and mentally prepared himself for the conversation to come.

"It happens. It's rare. Once or twice a year. But it happens.“

"Once or twice a year?”

"Yes."

The news seemed to troubke the Jonin, but Kakashi didn't let it upset him. He didn't know what was going on in his Sensei's mind and he didn't care. He just had to answer the questions, not worry about the answers.

"And usually it's... To help agreements? To make money for Konoha? You know what motivates these missions?”

"Usually it's for politicians, to put them in a good mood and help reach agreements. Sometimes, to put them in compromising situations and to have a means of pressure on them. Never just for money. According to Hokage, no price would justify it. Once too, because I had been caught by Kiri's ninjas when I had infiltrated behind the enemy line. They wanted to make me talk. But I didn't say anything! I promise you Sensei, I didn't say a word!”

"I'm sure, Kakashi, don't worry!”

Minato moved forward, as if he was about to put his hand on the boy's small shoulder to comfort him, but he changed his mind and put his palms back on the table.

"Do you want to tell me about what that man did to you the other day?”

These men,Kakashi corrected mentally.

"No, I don’t.”

Minato nodded, but remained silent. Slowly he turned his gaze away to the small window looking out onto the street, his forehead wrinkled. He seemed lost in thought, as if he was thinking about what to do next.

"How long did it last? "he finally asked, his eyes still fixed on the passers-by in the street.

"The night.”

"All night long?”

"Yes."

Kakashi couldn’t quite understand the purpose of these questions but it seemed important to Minato, judging by the way he controlled his breathing and the way he held his hands so that neither of them interfered with his attention.

"Was he violent with you? I mean... More violent than one would expect for this kind of mission? Was he particularly cruel?”

Kakashi forced himself not to close his eyes, not even for a fraction of a second, but that didn't prevent the memory from hitting him head-on, in the form of an elusive flash, a blurred vision of the object with which those men had penetrated him, which seemed so disproportionate between his thin, childlike legs. _So you'll stay full of us._ It had been painful. Violent and cruel? Maybe.

"Yes.”

"Are you hurt?"

"Nothing that I can't heal by myself.”

Minato opened his mouth, as if to protest, but he finally changed his mind and nodded his head, visibly anxious not to confront the boy.

"Do you understand why these missions are special compared to others, Kakashi?"

"Yes, I think I do.”

"Why?”

"Because they bother you. The Hokage, you, and the others.”

"The problem isn't that..." Minato began before stopping to choose a new tactic. "Do you understand why people might be uncomfortable with the idea of sending you on these missions?”

"Yes. It's because it's about sexuality.”

Kakashi had said this with simplicity, as if he had been asked a question at the academy and had answered with the certainty of those who have revised their lessons well.

"What do you know about it?”

"I know that's why it bothers you. Because making love is for adults only. And because I look like a child, even if I'm not one, mentally, there is a blockage that prevents you from associating me with these ideas.”

"Before we come back to this issue, we have to clarify something, Kakashi. What happened to you has nothing to do with "making love". You must absolutely get this idea out of your head. It had to do with sex, it's true. But that's called sexual assault. And... if I guess right and you were penetrated, it's called rape.”

"No."

"No?”

"No. Rape is for civilians. It is when the victim does not consent. I was taught that, Sensei. Rape is rape if there is no free, affirmed, and informed consent. I was consenting. It was for my mission.”

"It's... it's not enough to say that you consented, Kakashi.”

Minato nibbled his lip, visibly anxious to find the exact right words, so as not to rush nor spare Kakashi. The boy let him think, keeping an impassive face, forcing himself to stare at his Sensei without blinking.

"Agreeing is not enough to consider that there is real consent. That was your mission. It was your duty to accept. So it is not consent without coercion. You couldn't say no.”

"I could have."

" Say no? To the Hokage?”

Kakashi forced himself not to react, but he could feel the annoyance building up inside him. Minato must have sensed it as he moved his chair until he got closer to the student, so that they were both side by side, and he resumed in an extremely calm and reassuring voice.

"What's bothering you about that word, Kakashi? Does it change anything for you?”

Kakashi shrugged , but Minato didn't give up on the topic. He leaned over the boy, without touching him but close enough to make the young chunin understand that he was there, and that he wouldn't leave him.

"What difference does it make to you, Kakashi?"

"Nothing."

" I think it does. I think it's very important for you. Would you like to try and explain why?"

"It doesn't change anything. Just... It's like I'm a victim. I chose for this to happen, it was my mission. And I did it right. I know exactly what to do and how to act to get what I want. It was a mission, it wasn't the most interesting, it wasn't the easiest, it wasn't the most glorious, but I did it anyway. I did what I had to do. And, to say that it's... That it's not consensual, it's as if... "

"... As if the power you had over the situation was being taken away from you. "Minato concluded when it was clear that Kakashi wasn't going to finish it himself.

Again, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. Once again, he didn't care about this conversation. He just wanted it to end.

"Are you sleeping properly? »

Kakashi shrugged.

"Are you eating properly? »

Kakashi shrugged.

"Do you ever have flashes of this night? »

Kakashi shrugged.

"Kakashi... Even if our laws don't say anything about it, it is obvious that your body and mind know that what happened is not normal. And I can't do anything to stop you from being convinced that this is the lot of ninjas and that it's not worth worrying about. But things aren't going to get better if you ignore them long enough.”

Kakashi felt his eyes burning, but he preferred to swallow instead, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide their trembling which had started again.

"Kakashi...”

Minato's voice was so sweet, so benevolent, so far from what Kakashi had experienced that night. He clenched his right fist to prevent trembling and tore it out of his pocket, rubbing his eyes furiously with the back of his sleeve to dissipate this painful and ridiculous burn. His breathing, which had become slightly hiccupping, did nothing to help his situation and Kakashi had to make every effort to correct these stupid problems. Before he had time to calm down, he felt Minato's hand on his shoulder. The sensei was hesitant, unsure if he could touch the boy, but Kakashi could feel the warmth of his hand through the fabric of his shirt and he found it surprisingly reassuring. He didn't like physical contact, but at that very moment the strange feeling of having someone at his side helped him to calm down. His breath was still shaking, and he would have liked to discipline it before saying anything, but the words somehow escaped him.

"It hurts a bit, Sensei.”

Kakashi had his head resolutely bowed, his eyes fixed on his knees, unable to support the Jonin's gaze. But Minato crouched on the floor in front of his pupils, sitting on his heels and taking the boy's trembling, icy hands in his own.

"Is it internal wounds?”

He had the professional tone of a seasoned ninja, despite his gentle gaze, and this helped Kakashi to not thing too much about the answers.

"Not only.”

"You have other wounds.”

"They don't hurt, the other ones.”

"Will you... show them to me?”

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, looking at the large hands of his Sensei covering his own, and finally resumed in a voice so weak that he didn't recognize it.

"Not all of them.”

"All right. Show me the ones you’re willing to show, then.”

Kakashi stood up timidly. Minato didn't get up. Even when seated, he was almost as tall as his pupil. With hasty gestures to get it over with as quickly as possible, Kakashi took off his shirt and the undershirt that was attached to the mask. Standing half-naked in front of his Sensei had nothing to do with the weight of those other men's gaze, Kakashi realized. There he was more ashamed of his wounds than of his body. Minato gently grabbed his wrist to encourage him to turn around. Kakashi didn't see his expression, but he felt this hand tensing a little more around his arm as he discovered the state of his back. However, the Jonin made no comment that would have betrayed his feelings about the cruel spectacle. He simply continued in his calm and professional tone.

"We have to clean them, Kakashi.”

"I don't want to go to the hospital.”

"Do you allow me to do it?”

Kakashi didn't move, froze in spite of himself, but he ended up nodding with difficulty.

"Sit down. I'll get some stuffs to take care of it in the bathroom.”

Again, Kakashi noded. But the moment Minato left the room, he was seized by a deep sense of unease. Being alone in this room, feeling the air brush against his naked skin, all this caused him unspeakable anguish, which he could not understand but which immediately panicked him. Without thinking, he left to take refuge in the bathroom, feeling an unjustified relief when he found his Sensei there. If the latter was surprised to see his pupil come back after only a few seconds, he did not comment, contenting himself with quickly ruffling the grey hair and continuing to assemble gauze, antiseptics, and ointment against bruises.

"Let's go back to the other room?”

"Do we have to?”

He knew that the light was better there, but staying in a bigger room made him feel more exposed. Minato gave him a reassuring smile.

“Not at all," he said. “Sit here, it will be just as fine.”

Kakashi obeyed cautiously so as not to hurt himself more than necessary and Minato took his place behind him, spreading the collected items around them. The boy quickly felt the soaked gauze begin to rub his wounds. It wasn't pleasant, but the pain was relatively insignificant.

"I'm sorry, but I have to rub a little to remove the dried blood.”

"It doesn't matter. They don't hurt anymore.”

The minutes that followed stretched out in silence, and Kakashi could feel the preoccupied mind of his Sensei behind him, thinking at full speed. He could sense that a question was about to fall, and he had no desire to answer it.

"What did he do this with, Kakashi?" Minato finally asked.

Only the sound of gauze against the wounds answered. The Sensei finally rolled the pieces of cloth soaked in antiseptic and blood into balls before tossing them aside and detailing the mottled back with more care.

"There will be no need for stitches. I'll just put a little balm for the bruises, and some oily bandages for the most damaged wounds, to prevent your shirt from irritating them.”

Kakashi simply nodded his head and let the Sensei do what he had to do. When he was finished, Minato took one of the T-shirts that was on the drying rack and handed it to the boy who put it on in a few quick motions. However, the Jonin didn't get up, staying where he was, and Kakashi had to turn around to face him. The two ninjas, sitting on the floor of the small bathroom, were staring at ach other, each one knowing where the conversation was going to head, but both too afraid to go there. Minato must have thought that it was up to him to take matters into his own hands, for he was the first to speak again.

"Kakashi... you have to take care of your other wounds, too.”

The boy, not caring for the pain that such a movement caused him, bring his legs against him and wrapped them in his arms, pushing the words of his superior away from him.

"I saw that the wounds in your back continued under your trousers. If they are like the ones I saw, they will heal by themselves if you keep them clean, but if they are more serious...".

"They're like the ones on my back," mumbled Kakashi, his legs still close to him.

"Are they?”

"Yes, Minato-Sensei.”

Jonin watched him for a moment, as if to guess whether the boy was minimizing his injuries or not, and finally he nodded gently.

"There are also internal injuries. They must be taken care of, Kakashi.”

The boy plunged his head between his arms. He knew it was childish, that it wouldn't make the problem go away, but he couldn't help it. And it kept Minato from being able to see his eyes burning again.

"I don't want you to take care of it..." he murmured after long minutes of silence.

"I understand that. But someone has to.”

"I can do it.”

"No, Kakashi. You can't.”

"I... I don't want to go to the hospital.”

"I know.”

The conversation could have ended there. Kakashi would have liked it to end there. But he knew there was no chance it would.

"There is a doctor's office." Minato finally resumed after some time. " In Konoha, not far from the Hyuga district."

"It's like a hospital.”

"Not really, no. It's less crowded. Less traffic, less noise, fewer people dying. It's much quieter and I think it will be less scary for you. Besides, I'd rather have a civilian doctor examine you.”

"Why is that? "Kakashi asked, slightly raising his head, curious.

"Because I think in this case it will be for the best.”

The Sensei stopped there, as if he hesitated to reveal the ins and outs of his reflection, but he ended up continuing.

"I think a civilian doctor will treat this situation with more... consideration. The treatment in ninja hospitals is very... standardized from patient to patient. When I think that the circumstances here are not normal. And shouldn’t be seen as such.”

Kakashi understood what the Sensei did not dare to say. _You're just a child and I want that to be taken into consideration._ _The wounds you have are not ninja wounds._ Under normal circumstances the boy would have been furious at this kind of innuendo. But in this particular situation he didn't trust what he had been told all along, nor did he trust himself. Only Minato-Sensei’s opinion seemed right by him.

"Do I have to? "he asked one last time.

The Jonin seemed to hesitate for a few moments, as if he was weighing the pros and cons, but he finally nodded.

"Yes, Kakashi. You need to be treated. Here or elsewhere, but you have to.”

"Will you go with me?"

"If that's what you want.”

"I... Yes, I would like to... I mean... "

"Then I would go. I won't leave you alone, I promise.”

* * *

* * *

For Obito it was a beautiful day. It was nice and warm, the sun was shining and the sky as blue as it could be, and the Sensei had cancelled the training. What's more, Bakakashi had been suspended so he wasn't around to make Obito feel bad about spending the day playing rather than training. So, having left the stifling atmosphere of the Uchiha district at first light of the day, he was now on the village playground. Most of the children were at the academy, or training, so Obito had the space all to himself. He had even borrowed his little cousin's ball and was going to play with it all morning. Well, "borrowed". He hadn't asked him. Obito wasn't a thief, but he knew that if he had asked, he would simply have been told that he'd better get back to training and that if he continued to behave like a child, it wasn’t surprising that he was such a disappointment...

Obito tapped the rim of his glasses to chase away the thoughts that were parasitizing his mind. All in all, he was already a failure. One less morning of training wouldn't change that. So he put the ball on the ground and started to push it with the tip of his foot, dribbling between the legs of the bench and commenting aloud on his actions as if he were a great athlete admired by all. He shouted for long minutes, running from one end of the field to the other, chasing the ball, but soon the game lost interest. It wasn't much fun to play alone... But it wasn't like he had a lot of people to ask. His only friends were his fellow classmates from the academy, and all of them had to be either on a mission or training with their Sensei. There was Rin, but she was taking a class at the hospital. And even if she had been available, what would she have thought if she saw him playing like that on the sandlot? She wouldn't say anything, of course, Rin was too nice to laugh at him or be mean like the others. But Obito would much rather have her see him do something more impressive than play ball. Maybe he could invite her for a meal after her class...

Weary, the young boy took the ball in his hands and went to sit down on one of the benches. It had been stupid to come here. Each time he got tired in just a few minutes and invariably ended up feeling extremely lonely. Sometimes he envied his cousin who was so good at making shadow clones. If he knew how to cast this jutsu, at least he wouldn't have to play alone, and he wouldn't spend his only free day sitting on a bench waiting for it to finish. Maybe he should go and train, after all. It would be less of a waste.

"Obito?”

Enthusiastic at the idea of someone coming to talk to him, Obito raised his head with gusto. Only to discover that it was actually the only person he didn't want to see. Of course, Bakakashi would find a way to come bother him even when he wasn't supposed to be around.

"What do you want? "he asked, sullenly.

He couldn't wait for the other boy to leave the team, even though he doubted that the Sensei would carry out his threat. It was obvious that Minato liked Kakashi much more than he or Rin.

"I've come to apologize.”

Obito almost choked on his own saliva at the hearing of his words. He detailed Kakashi, incredulous, unable to believe what he had just heard. The other boy, almost a head shorter than he was, had his hands stuffed in his pockets, a sour face and a cold voice, his frowning eyebrows showing his discontent. Obito was familiar with this expression because he had had it himself. Kakashi had no desire to be here, but Minato-Sensei had asked him to apologize. The Uchiha recognized the signs because he himself had been there. He still remembered very clearly when, on the pretext that he had told his teammate that it was a good thing his father had died so that he couldn't see what kind of idiot he had for as a son, Minato had ordered him to apologize in the sincerest terms. He finally did so, both because it was an order and because, deep down, he felt particularly guilty, but his ego had never recovered. Nonetheless he remembered that Kakashi had been relatively tolerable that day and had shortened his discomfort, so he guessed it was time to return the favor.

"I'll tell Minato-Sensei that you've apologized. And that it was convincing. Even if it wasn't.”

Obito had the impression that Kakashi was going to retort something, but finally he fell silent, shrugged and turned his heels. He was going to move away but finally he changed his mind and turned back to Obito who was still watching him.

"Where is Rin?”

"She took a class at the hospital.”

"What are _you_ doing, then?"

The Uchiha felt his cheeks blush and his ears burn as he held the ball in his hands and squeezed it against him. He would much rather die than tell Kakashi that he was playing.

"Nothing! "he immediately defended himself.

"Shouldn't you be training, rather than doing nothing?”

"By Kami, you've been back on the team for three seconds and you're already starting to lecture everyone! You suck, Kakashi! “

Obito expected the other boy to make a heartfelt remark about his abilities, but he was surprised by his silence and calm. In the end Kakashi said only a few words with an obvious tone.

"If you don't train, you have less chance of survival on a mission.”

"Is that a threat?!”

Kakashi sighed what had the ability to annoy Obito even more. But just as the older one was about to make a rant about how stupid his team-mate was and how he was going to tell Minato that his apologies were lousy, two other boys arrived on the field. Obito turned around and immediately recognized his cousin Akio and his ANBU teammate Haruka. The two boys had joined the special forces last month, and since then they had become unbearable, according to Obito. Always taking it out on him to remind him how disappointing he was for his name.

"Obito," trumpeted Akio as he readjusted the arm guard on his ANBU uniform, which he wore even when he was not at work, "You, here. On a baby playground. How hardly surprising.”

"What do you want, Akio? "mumbled the boy between his clenched teeth, already ashamed and frustrated.

"Nothing in particular. I just came to see how my little cousin was doing. I was checking that you didn't need any help to find the little grannies' glasses, or to cut the weeds in the Hokage's garden. That's the kind of mission you do, isn't it?”

"Not only that! "exclaimed Obito, bright red. "We also have C-rank missions!”

"Wow! Rank C missions? Impressive!”

"Come on, don't be mean, Haruka! "Akio grinned. "I know that since we're used to S rank missions, it doesn't seem like much. But for a burden like Obito, it's already admirable that he's able to walk to the main entrance without killing himself.”

"It is unworthy of an ANBU to boast, especially for something as insignificant as the rank of their missions.”

It was Kakashi who had just spoken, to Obito's surprise. The younger of the boys had an unemotional voice and an impassive face and stared at the two ANBU with obvious boredom. Although he would never admit it, Obito was happy that Kakashi was at his side. His teammate was always so confident, so in control, and that was understandable given his abilities. All in all, he was looking forward to seeing his stupid cousin being massacred by the impeccable verve of Konoha's prodigy.

"No, it's unworthy to brag when you have nothing to brag about. Two failures like you should know that, shouldn't you?”

"Failures? "exclaimed Obito. "Do you know who that is? It's Hatake Kakashi! The greatest genius of our generation! He will become Jonin soon, at an age when even you were still wondering in which way a Kunai should be hold! So you'd better think about who you insult of being a failure!”

He had no desire to defend Kakashi. The boy may have been a genius, but he was still a moron. But if he could get his cousin's cake and eat it, showing him who he was friends with, he wouldn't miss the chance. And Akio and his team-mate didn't need to know that the two boys weren't friends at all and that Kakashi spent his time criticizing Obito's abysmal level.

"A genius? Seriously? "Haruka mumbled sarcastically. "I wouldn't be so sure. »

"That's because you're an idiot! "exclaimed Obito with disdain.

"Or rather, because now that we're in the special forces, we have access to certain files... "

Akio turned to Kakashi, his eye shining with mocking and cruel amusement.

"He wants to pass himself off as Konoha's pride, but he's nothing more than the village whore. Right, Kakashi-kun?”

Obito turned to Kakashi, without understanding. He didn't know what his cousin had said, but judging by the tone, it sounded mean and humiliating. His team-mate, however, remained impassive. He squinted coldly and Obito immediately recognized that expression. That was how Kakashi looked at an enemy when he was thinking of the most effective way to finish him off. The young Uchiha felt a shiver run down his spine. But before he could finish his thought, Kakashi spoke again, in a calm and detached voice, almost mechanical, as if each word was a kunai that he was handling without the slightest emotion, only for the sake of efficiency.

"It is better to prostitute yourself for the village than for blowjobs at 50 Ryo, as your mother does.”

Again, Obito did not understand the insult. But it must have been extremely serious, for Akio and his friend immediately threw themselves at him, their faces distorted by rage, their eyes burning with the desire to fight. The confrontation was brief, however. Kakashi may have been younger and of a lower rank, but he was a much better ninja. Far from letting himself be blinded by rage, he remained cold and efficient, hitting where it would hurt the most while dodging his opponents' blows without difficulty. Obito, unable to see his teammate - even one as unbearable as this one - fighting alone, joined the assault with a thunderous battle cry. His blows didn't really hit their targets, and the few jutsus he tried were easily ignored by both enemies, but he couldn’t help but feel a victorious burst of joy when Akio collapsed and Haruka was forced to flee, carrying his friend's unconscious body with great difficulty.

"YATTA! "shouted Obito with joy at this overwhelming and prideful victory.

Of course, he knew that the clan elders would lecture him and probably find a way to punish him for attacking a more valuable member of the family, but he didn't care. A victory was still a victory, in any case. He turned to Kakashi and was surprised to see an expression of pain on the boy's face. He didn't remember seeing him receive a blow. So, he approached him timidly.

"Are you all right," he asks while readying himself for his teammate to tell him off, as usual.

"Yes," Kakashi replied, straightening up as if nothing had happened.

"Oh... Ok.”

Obito turned around to look at the roof where the other two boys had disappeared. It was a brief encounter, but a particularly enjoyable one if one asked his opinion. Remembering the best moments of the conflict, the young Uchiha suddenly remembered a detail he hadn't understood.

"What did you tell them, by the way?”

"Mmh?”

"The sentence you said that pissed them off like that, what did it mean?"

"Nothing in particular. It was just words that would make them angry enough to attack us. As they were the ones who started the fight, they won't go and complain to their superior. Minato-Sensei will never hear about this.”

"Oh, nice.”

Kakashi quickly dust off the front of his T-shirt and adjusted his tanto in his back. In the end, the other boy wasn't always that annoying, Obito was surprised to think.

"What about him? What does it mean what he told you? "he asked, still in a good mood after the events that had just taken place.

"You know, if you trained more, you wouldn't need me to beat them. "Kakashi replied simply with a scornful look.

"Kakashi! Just when I think you're not so bad, you feel obliged to prove that you're still a complete idiot!”

The youngest shrugged and left the training ground.

Obito didn't tell Rin about the incident when they met at the restaurant to eat together. Nor did he when they spent their afternoon by the lake, talking about everything and nothing. When he was with Rin, he didn't feel like talking about Kakashi. But the question always bothered him when he said goodbye to the girl in the marketplace as they were leaving to go home. The path to the Uchiha district was a bit long, and night was beginning to fall, but he didn't feel like hurrying. He didn't want to go home. He never really wanted to go home. There was his grandmother, whom he adored, but she was about the only loved one he had in that neighborhood. He had often asked if they could move, find a nice flat in the city center, but Obito only had a Chunin paid, and this was his parents' house. So he stayed. Out of necessity. For his grandmother too. But one couldn't expect him to go home with a smile on his face. As he was leaving the market square, he caught a yellow glimmer and immediately recognized the characteristic hair of his Sensei, who was walking about ten meters in front of him with a bag of fresh vegetables in his hand. Obito ran a few steps to catch up with him.

"Minato-Sensei!”

The latter, having surely heard him approaching, turned around without seeming surprised.

"Obito? Are you going home?”

"Yes, Sensei.”

The Jonin must have seen the boy's scowling face and offered him a compassionate smile.

"Do you want me to come with you?”

"It's the opposite way to your house.”

"It'll be a nice little walk." The Jonin simply explained as he made his way to the Uchiha district.

Obito didn't answer anything, but he felt his heart swell slightly. If one didn’t count that stupide Kakashi, he really had the best of teams.

"Are you coming, Obito?”

"Y-Yes, Sensei!”

Obito quickly wiped his eyes and ran to catch up with the Jonin. The two ninjas then walked side by side in conniving silence, savouring the nascent freshness of the night after a far too hot day.

"How is your stomach?” asked the Sensei after a while.

"It's fine. A few bruises but it doesn't hurt at all anymore.”

"About Kakashi, it must be said that..."

"Don't worry, Sensei. He apologized.”

"Really? "Minato asked suspiciously.

Yes," he said. “Really.”

The boy always enjoyed the very rare times when Minato was taking Kakashi down a notch, but he remembered that his team-mate hadn't been cruel when the roles had been reversed. Obito wasn't the bad guy of the two. Moreover, even if he had tarnished his good deed with an insult, he had attacked Akio and, just for that alone, Obito was ready to make things right with the Sensei.

"It’s settled, then.”

"Minato-Sensei? I had a question. What does it mean, to prostitute yourself?”

Minato stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards Obito, a shocked expression on his face. The boy immediately regretted asking the question. It must have been a very vulgar word. That's why his cousin had been so angry. It must have been a horrible insult. He should have asked Rin instead of Minato. He was going to get himself in trouble because Kakashi and his cousin were teaching him swear words.

"Where did you hear that, Obito? "Minato asked, urgently.

"I... It's... Just... I don't know... In a book somewhere..."

If Minato found out that he had had a argument and, even worse, a fight with other ninjas, he would be even more furious. But the Sensei swept away Obito's attempts with an impatient wave of his hand.

"Listen, I'm not angry with you. I'm not angry at all. I won't be. But I want to know where you heard that word.”

"It's... It's Kakashi!”

He certainly wasn't going to take the blame instead of this moron.

"Kakashi? What did he say?”

"I don't remember exactly. It was my cousin who insulted him first. He called him a... uh... whore or something. And Kakashi said that it was better to prostitute yourself for the village than for blow jobs. I swear, it’s not me. It's Kakashi! I didn't say anything at all, I don't even know what they meant.”

Obito was particularly worried that the Sensei's anger would turn against him because he had had the misfortune to ask a question, but Minato quickly calmed down and sighed.

"I'm not angry, Obito," he finally said. "Don't worry. Prostitution is not a swear word. It's just something you shouldn't talk about without knowing what it means.”

"And... what does it mean?"

He was afraid of upsetting the Jonin again, but Obito had always been more curious than he was careful.

"These people you were talking to, they wanted to make fun of Kakashi by using something extremely serious and grave.”

The Uchiha did not comment, but continued to stare at his Sensei, this time much more calmly. When he had heard his cousin's sentence, he felt that something in the air had changed. But he couldn't understand what.

"I shouldn't tell you about it, Obito. But now that you've heard these words, I don't want you to look for them yourself and get the wrong idea about what happened.”

Obito nodded seriously, trying to prove to his Sensei that he could trust him and tell him important things. Minato judged him for a moment in silence, and finally resumed walking, still in the direction of the Uchiha district.

"Kakashi has been sent several times on missions that are similar to prostitution.”

"But what is it?”

"Prostitution is the exchange of sexual favours for some form of remuneration. Like money, privileges, gifts.”

"Sexual? Like making babies? Kakashi is going to become a father!”

"No! Not at all, Obito! "exclaimed Minato with a smile that was not at all amused. "There can be sex without babies. But... that's a subject we'll talk about some day, but not now.”

"We studied it at the academy. We had a class, about it, during our last year. It's when there's an intimate relationship between two people and...”

Obito blushes violently as he remembers the drawings and explanations they had learned in class. The adults really had strange ways to pass the time!

"And Kakashi likes that? "he finally exclaimed. "Ugh! That doesn't even surprise me! I’ve always suspected he was a pervert behind his detached looks.”

"Obito, don't say things like that," cut Minato with a cold and implacable tone that immediately worried the boy.

The Chunin raised his eyes to his superior and was surprised by the hardness he could see shining in the man's bluish eyes. He felt that he had said something deeply inappropriate and, although he didn't know what exactly, he was already bitterly regretting it.

"S-sorry, Sensei.”

"I know you don't understand what you're saying, but I don't want to hear you say that kind of thing again. Do you understand?”

"Yes, Minato-Sensei.”

The Jonin watched him for a moment and then finally looked away, to Obito's great relief. He resumed in a softer voice.

"Prostitution is an activity that some people practice with joy and pride. And it can be a fulfilling profession. But it is not always so, and it can be very violent. Kakashi didn't choose to do this, the village sent him because it had no other choice. He was forced.”

Obito squinted his eyes while observing the face of his Sensei in the dark. He remembered that the teacher at the academy had told them something about it. During this embarrassing lesson, where the children had been laughing and blushing depending on their character, the teacher had quickly touched upon the notion of forced relationships. He did not remember the exact word, but even though at the time he did not really understand what it was all about, he had felt that what was being said was serious and terrible. The children had stopped laughing and everyone had felt a shiver of fear. Then the Sensei had dispelled the discomfort with one or two funny thoughts, and they had all moved on. So Kakashi had experienced this serious and terrible thing?

"It hurt him?”

He felt that his question was stupid, but he couldn't see how he could begin to understand something that seemed so serious, when Kakashi had no wound and didn't seem to be about to die.

"Yes. How bad, I don't know. But, yes, it was painful.”

"But he agreed to go on these missions?”

"Agreed, yes and no. Theoretically yes, but he didn't really have a choice. And even if he had, the question shouldn't even have been asked in the first place.”

Obito understood nothing of the answer, but it seemed to be so painful for his Sensei that he preferred not to ask for more explanation.

"Is he going to do more of them? Missions like that, I mean.”

"I don't know. I hope not. I'm going to try to prevent it. But I don't think there's much I can do about it... "

"What about me?"

Obito felt a vague anguish burning in his throat, while his voice began to shake.

" I'm going to have to do missions like that too?”

"It's very unlikely, Obito. You belong to a clan, you have no experience of this kind of thing, you're very impulsive. That's not the kind of profile they're looking for. They would rather give this kind of work to Kakashi than to you.”

And, for the first time, Obito was not jealous of Kakashi's missions.

"He will heal?" he finally asked after long minutes of walking in silence.

"I hope so.”

"I think he was in pain this morning.”

"I know. I'm taking him to the doctor tomorrow.”

"Can I come with you?”

"I don't think it's a good idea.”

"At least accompany you a little. I don't want to bother you but... You're the one who always says that a team must stick together. And even if Kakashi is sometimes an idiot, he's our idiot.”

Minato-Sensei displayed a strange expression, between reprobation, amusement, and pride, and finally he nodded his head.

"I'll tell Kakashi. You won't be able to enter the examination room, but maybe he'll let you wait outside.”

"All right. I would tell Rin not to ask questions. She will understand.”

"I didn't say he would agree to that.”

"Yes, Sensei. But... even if he doesn't want to, can you tell him that I hope he's not too hurt?”

The kindness word was a little bit fragile and hesitant, but Obito didn't know what to say or do to support his team-mate. Minato seemed to understand him, because he nodded his head with a bright and comprehensive smile.

* * *

* * *

Buying a television was not the stupidest of ideas. They were rather rare in Konoha, and the channels available were counted on the fingers of one hand. But Kushina had insisted. "To brighten up the house!” had exclaimed his girlfriend. Minato had long been reluctant. A ninja didn't earn much, and between the two of them, if they managed to pay the rent on their house and live comfortably, they should not spend money unnecessarily. The two Jonins liked to be able to go out to restaurants and invite their friends whenever they wanted, to treat themselves from time to time by buying a few things they could have done without. And they managed to do so because they never lived beyond their means. So the idea of a television, no thanks. Konoha's programs were known to be uninteresting and they didn't have much free time to enjoy them anyway. "But that's the point! "Kushina had argued, "Half the time, when we have a day off, the other one is on a mission. That will give us a bit of company." Minato didn't see how a television could be good company. But he had become Jonin instructor, and with his promotion he had received a nice bonus, which he had spent to offer the love of his life this television that she wanted so badly. And he had to admit that she hadn't been wrong. He didn't turn it on often, but the background noise could sometimes be pleasant, when he was worried about Kushina who had gone on an A-rank mission. And today, he was happy to have given in.

The film was stupid. Silly humor based on improbable falls and absurd misunderstandings. But at least it occupied the mind of the boy next to him, curled up against one of the sofa cushions. The child seemed so young, so small, huddled like that, his arms around the pillow, his legs folded against him, his head falling down from time to time, to the rhythm of his fatigue.

It was Minato who had proposed to his student to spend the evening at home, with him, and he had not hesitated to be a little insistent, listing in alphabetical order all the reasons Kakashi had for accepting. He had no desire to leave the boy alone in his flat and, seeing the child's peaceful face and relaxed shoulders, he did not regret insisting. He had guessed that his student was having trouble sleeping, and he didn't even want to imagine what might haunt him at night. Nevertheless, he hoped that his home, which was warmer, brighter and safer, would provide a reassuring environment for the boy and that he could have a chance to rest before what awaited him tomorrow. And, as his subordinate’s breathing grew deeper and deeper, Minato dared to believe that his plan was a success.

On the coffee table in front of them, one could see the leftovers of their meal. Boxes of noodles, half-opened sachets of sauce, chopsticks scattered about. Kakashi had barely touched the food but he had at least tried, and Minato didn't think he could ask for more.

The Jonin stretched lazily, rolling the stiff muscles in his shoulders. It was late, all the more so for the day ahead of them tomorrow, and it was time to go to bed. He had asked earlier in the evening if Kakashi wanted Obito and Rin to come with them. At first the boy didn't seem to be too happy with the idea, but then he simply whispered "whatever" which seemed to have become his favorite word of late.

"Kakashi," he whispered, so as not to pull him too abruptly out of his lethargy.

"Mmh..."

"I'm going to get you a blanket. Do you want to sleep on the sofa?"

Kakashi's eyes, half-closed, opened suddenly and stared at the Sensei for a moment.

"Where are you going?”

"Uh, I was planning to sleep in my room..."

"Ah. Ok.”

He lay down on the cushion, his dark eyes fixed on the TV, but Minato could see that sleep had deserted his face and that his shoulders betrayed the tension that was running through them.

"Do you want me to sleep here?"

"No, I don't. I don't care.”

This sentence had been mumbled in the typical tone of indifference, but Minato had been the boy's teacher for more than a year, and he could read his innuendoes now. Kakashi did care a lot.

"All things considered; I'll watch a bit more of this film.”

"Mmh. Whatever.”

Minato waited a few seconds to see if Kakashi would add anything else, complaining about his Sensei's obvious attempt to hide the fact that he intended to stay with him, but the boy said nothing. The Jonin then got up, fetched the blanket from one of the cupboards in the bedroom, took his own from his bed and brought them both back to the living room. He unfolded the blanket over Kakashi, who grabbed it and wrapped himself in it, lying on the sofa but leaving enough room for the other ninja to sit on it too. Minato sat down next to his student and discreetly turned down the sound of the television to allow the younger ninja to sleep more soundly.

"Sensei?”

The little voice had risen after several minutes of silence, awake and curious but slightly hesitant. Minato lowered his eyes to the boy rolled into a ball, who seemed so frail wrapped up in the overly wide blanket. The sensei said nothing, sensing that Kakashi was going to speak on his own accord.

"Tomorrow... what... what's going to happen?”

Minato tried to bring his hand close to the grey hair and, seeing that he didn't seem to mind, gently stroke the boy's head.

"I don't know exactly," he replied in a warm and reassuring voice. "They'll probably examine you and ask you some questions.”

"I'm going to have to tell them?”

"I don't think they're going to force you to do anything. But it would help them a lot if you told them what happened, yes."

The boy's breathing trembled a little and after a moment he stood up on one hand, looking at his Sensei with a youthful air on his face.

"What if I don't want to?" he asked in a voice so fragile that Minato barely recognized it.

"Well, you'll tell them that.”

"And... will they listen to me?"

Kakashi seemed particularly dubious.

"Yes," said Minato confidently.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then, after a while, nodded. He lay down carefully, resting his head on his mentor's bent knee. The mentor carefully stroked the boy's hair until the boy finally fell asleep. This view left Jonin pensive. It had been a long time since his student had stopped looking like a child and yet tonight he could clearly see the soldier's real age. He still remembered the time when Kakashi had just begun to walk. His own Sensei, Jiraya, had been a close friend of Sakumo's and more than once Minato had been assigned to babysit so that the two old comrades could spend the evening outside. He doubted whether Kakashi remembered those days, but he had seen the boy crawl around the house, marveling at everything. He had rocked him at night and wiped the plates of mashed potatoes that he had spilled. The baby he had been was nothing like the young man he was today, except for the characteristic hair he shared with his father. Sakumo... Minato couldn't help wondering what the old White Fang would think if he were to find out what Konoha had done to his beloved son. Many shinobi considered rogue ninjas as madmen, idiots with incomprehensible and inexcusable behavior. The Yellow Flash did not agree. He could understand the disgust, the rage, the feeling of betrayal of those who had decided to turn their backs on their village. And, as he carefully stroked the light-colored hair of his sleeping student, he couldn't help wondering what Konoha had done to deserve the boy's loyalty, and how it intended to pay him back for his sacrifices.

The next day, the morning started as usual. Kakashi didn't touch much of his breakfast, but Minato made no comment. Once they were ready, they both went to the training ground number two to meet the other two chunins. To spare the youngest member of the team, the Sensei announced a meditation exercise and even Obito kept his complaints to himself. He had a serious look on his face and seemed to have decided not to provoke Kakashi, at least for the day. He had even arrived less than ten minutes late, which was quite a feat for the Uchiha. Rin didn't make any comments either. Minato didn't know exactly what Obito had told her, but the girl acted as usual, if not for the few glances she casted toward Kakashi when the boy couldn’t see it. The future Jonin couldn't help but make a few harsh remarks to his team-mates about their poor performance in meditation, which was the basis of ninja art, but nobody seemed to be offended, and even Minato didn't lecture him on patience and kindness towards his comrades. Kakashi was obviously extremely stressed, even though he hid it perfectly, and the Sensei had no desire to confront him or create the slightest conflict around him.

Finally, as the morning was slowly coming to an end, the hour came, and Minato ended the meditation session. They all got up and left the training area. However, instead of heading towards the city center to Minato's favorite restaurant, they went in the opposite direction, towards one of the most outlying areas of the village. Konoha's most civil neighborhood was particularly isolated in the general organization of the small town, as if there was a fear of mixing them in with the working life of the other, mostly Shinobi, inhabitants. The civilians did not complain about this. Those who did not have ninjas in their families had all come here out of political commitment, to do a good deed. There weren't many great professional opportunities in Konoha outside the army. The traders and craftsmen who came here did so to support the village more than for their personal interests. However, they did not complain about living only among themselves, quite the contrary. Nobody really liked being woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of someone jumping on the roof, or having to explain to their child why a man was losing his intestines in the middle of the street. They lived a more peaceful and happy life, isolated on the outskirts, and usually only went to the city center for their work.

So, it took the team some time to find the practice in this neighbourhood, which was absolutely unknown to them. Minato was not sure if he had ever been there even once. But they finally found the place and, after opening the door, the Sensei gently pushed his shy students inside. The cabinet was rather large. Three doctors had gathered to treat the entire civilian population of the village. Apart from the reception, where a smiling young woman was waiting to take their names, there was a large waiting room, brightly lit, painted in warm pastel colors. On the walls, several health posters were hung, such as the one reminding them to brush their teeth three times a day, or the one about the ideal composition of the meals. Between them, a few colorful pictures could be seen, showing relaxing landscapes, budding flowers, or smiling children. A few chairs with a relatively comfortable appearance, upholstered with a layer of foam and covered with a vivid fabric, furnished the room. In a corner, there was a little red table covered with white paper and colored pencils, surrounded by three plastic children's chairs. A few relatively simple toys were lying on the floor in this space dedicated to the youngest patients. The room, though laden with a strong smell, like all places of care, smelled more like clean than like death, and Minato was glad he had not gone to the hospital.

The young woman at the reception desk accompanied them to the waiting area and, with a smile, invited them to take a seat while the doctor came to pick them up. Obito, Rin and Kakashi went to sit side by side, observing in timid silence the posters around them. Minato watched them for a moment. Despite the circumstances, it was nice to see them together without any arguments or nasty remarks.

"What does dental mean?”

"You're really illiterate, Obito.”

"Oi, shut up, you idiot!"

Minato took back what he had just thought. He finally joined them and sat down next to them. The wait was not long. The Sensei, while making the appointment, had quickly explained the situation and obviously the doctor had done their best not to keep them waiting.

"Hatake Kakashi?".

Minato turned to the origin of the voice. She was a woman in her forties, with soft eyes and a kind smile. She wasn't really known in the village, at least not by the ninjas. Doctor Jun had first worked for the Daimyo's children and the ones of his ministers, before falling madly in love with a kunoichi whom she had followed to Konoha. Although all three doctors worked together in this practice, Jun often took care of the children and, even though Kakashi was legally an adult, her colleague had advised Minato to make an appointment with her rather than another one. Kakashi stood up and, followed by Minato, approached the woman. She greeted them with a smile before turning to Rin and Obito, still in the waiting room.

"It may take a little time. Just make yourself comfortable. There's drawing material, if you want.”

Minato expected the two chunins to complain and point out that they were in no way children, but the Sensei was surprised to see the delighted look on his subordinates' faces. The two young ninjas jumped to their feet and walked towards the table, already heckling over who would take which pencil. Minato was about to apologize for this behavior and lecture his students, but the doctor didn't give him time and encouraged him to follow her into her office, obviously finding nothing wrong with Rin and Obito's unruly conduct.

So Minato focused on Kakashi and, putting his hand on his shoulder to encourage him, guided him to the examination room. The place was relatively small, but the layout nevertheless gave a feeling of space. Painted in the same tones as the waiting room, the space was cool and bright. Behind the doctor's perfectly tidy desk, a dozen children's drawings were hung, brightening up the pale pink wall with vivid colors. All the medical instruments and products were hidden, out of sight, in the cupboards so that, if the examination table was put aside, the place seemed to be just a normal office. Minato took a seat in one of the two upholstered chairs facing the desk and Kakashi, whose gait was stiffened more by shyness than by pain, sat down next to him, discreetly moving his chair closer to his mentor's. The woman sat on the other side and offered them an encouraging smile.

"So, Minato, you are Kakashi's Sensei, right?”

"I am. "replied the Jonin in an equally polite tone, anxious to create a relaxed atmosphere for his student who was presently avoiding their gaze.

"Kakashi-kun?”

The doctor didn’t add more for a moment, to see if the boy would answer her, but he kept his face closed and his eyes fixed on his knees. The woman, however, didn't seem to mind and continued in a soft voice.

"You probably already know that, but we are here to talk about your last mission and to see what I can do to help you. But to do that, I'll need you to answer a few questions. Would you mind?”

Kakashi did not reply, but again this did not shake the benevolence of the civilian.

"I don't have your file, so I will only know about you what you want to tell me. Nothing else, okay?”

Kakashi kept his eyes fixed on his knees and Minato refrained from putting his hand on his shoulder. He had done all he could, now it was up to Kakashi to continue.

“How old are you, Kakashi?"

“11.”

Minato felt a strange relief as Jun picked up a pen to write the information on a file. His student was not as enclosed in his own mind as he had first thought. There was hope that the doctor, if she continued to be patient and cautious in her handling of the case, would be able to get from him what she needed to help him.

"And what is your rank?”

"Chunin.”

The doctor wrote this information on the piece of paper but before she could finish, Kakashi timidly resumed.

"Soon to be Jonin.”

"Really? Congratulations!" she exclaimed enthusiastically after looking up from her sheet to look at the two shinobis in front of her. "You must be very proud of your student, Minato-Sensei.”

"Yes, I am." said Minato with a delighted smile.

"And you've been a ninja for how many years?”

"Six years.”

The civilian did a quick calculation in her head before writing again on the paper.

"Do you have any particular illnesses or allergies?"

"No, I do not."

"Are you currently taking any medication?”

"No."

She wrote down this new information before pushing back the paper and focusing entirely on Kakashi, her green eyes still soft, but serious and committed.

"The thing that happened to you the other day, you know what it's called?”

Kakashi didn't answer, but nodded his head. The doctor must have guessed he wasn't comfortable with that for she didn't press the issue any further.

"Was it long ago?”

"The night between two and three days ago.”

"So about fifty hours ago, right?”

"Yes."

"Have you showered since then?”

"Yes."

" All right. So, to explain to you, Kakashi, what I'm going to do is see if there are injuries and also collect evidence in case you want to file a complaint.”

"I don't want to.”

"Yes, I can well imagine that the circumstances are special. But I'd still like to do it, just in case. You have several years to decide what you want to do. Just because I'm collecting evidence doesn't mean you have to do anything with it. I will keep it safe just in case, nothing will be done without your decision. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

Kakashi seemed to hesitate for a moment, glanced at Minato as if he hoped to find the answer, and finally nodded his head.

"Usually you can find evidence up to 76 hours after the act, more if there have been no showers. So I'm going to examine you, but first I need to know exactly how it happened, so that I know what kind of injury I should be looking for.”

Kakashi didn't answer anything, and Minato felt that this was the most delicate moment of the consultation. The doctor gave the boy a minute, then she spoke again in a light, extremely soft voice that barely resonated in the office, as if it was just passing by without ever settling down.

"Was there penetration that night?”

Minato could hear Kakashi's breathing getting stuck in his chest and the boy looked up at him, anxious and defensive. Maybe the Jonin's presence was too much, maybe the chunin couldn't stand the fact that he could hear this.

"Do you want me to go and wait in the next room, Kakashi?"

"No!" exclaimed the boy immediately, a frightened look in his eyes at the mere thought of Minato going out and leaving him alone.

"You know," continued Jun, who seemed to have understood better than the Jonin the reason for the young ninja's anxious gaze, "you don't have to worry about what Minato-Sensei will feel. You don't have to spare him. Whatever you say won't hurt him.”

"He doesn't like it.”

"Nobody likes the act itself, Kakashi. And your Sensei wants to protect you, to keep you safe. But that doesn't mean that he can't stand you talking about it. On the contrary, he would be relieved if you shared what happened, rather than keeping it to yourself.”

Kakashi looked again at his Sensei, unconvinced, but Minato gave him a confident smile and the boy finally nodded.

"The answer is yes," the boy whispered after a while.

"Oral and anal? »

The boy nodded his head.

"There were other forms?”

"Other forms? "Kakashi repeated, obviously not understanding what other forms could exist, which answered the woman's question.

"It was the first time you had been penetrated?”

"No. I've had other missions, like this.”

"All right. Have you been prepared, before penetration?”

"Uh... prepared..."

"With lubricant, with foreplay of sort.”

"Foreplay..."

"Did he use his fingers before so you could get used to it?”

"Uh, yes."

"With lube? It's slippery liquid.”

"No."

"Just the fingers?”

"And saliva. He asked me to suck on them."

This time it was Minato's breath that began to shake and freeze. But he forced himself not to show anything. If he didn't smile any more, he kept looking at Kakashi with clear, calm eyes, as attentive as one could be. Only the boy's word counted. What was breaking inside the Jonin didn't matter.

"And after that, he penetrated you?”

Kakashi nodded and the doctor resumed.

"Did he ejaculate inside you, in your mouth, or outside?”

"Uh, ejaculate is it when... inside, this time.”

"This time? It happened several times during the night?”

"Yes."

" All right, we'll do it in order, then. After that, he withdrew and then what.”

"I did a... fella-tio.”

Kakashi had stumbled over the word, as if he wasn't sure it was the right one, and he met the doctor's gaze to reassure himself on his choice of vocabulary. The civilian nodded her head and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Directly after he had penetrated you? He didn't wash his sex before you gave him fellatio.”

"Mmh..." mumbled the boy as he collected the memories of the night. "Yes, he did. He wiped himself with a damp cloth.”

"All right. And what did he do next?”

"Him? Nothing. But the others arrived.”

"The others? There were several people?”

Kakashi casted a worried look at Minato, but the Jonin just gave him a slight encouraging nod and Kakashi turned to the doctor again.

"Yes."

" How many?”

"Three.”

"Three?”

"Uh, four with the one who did nothing.”

"The one who did nothing?”

"Yes, he was there, but... he didn't do anything.”

"All right. The other three have all done something, then?"

"Yes.”

"What, exactly?”

"Well... everything. I mean... the normal stuff.”

The doctor crossed her arms on her desk, leaning slightly forward.

"From what your Sensei told me, I think I can guess what kind of wounds you might have inside. And these injuries are quite rare, even in cases of aggression. So, I have to ask you if there have been acts that are a little less "normal", as you say.”

Kakashi just shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Did more than one of them penetrate you at the same time?”

Again Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, and Minato had to cross his arms to hide the trembling of his hands and the palpitations of his chest.

"I need to know, Kakashi. I'm guessing, but I'd like to avoid making assumptions. There were two of them.”

"Yes..."

The doctor must have felt that the boy had more to say because she kept silent until he resumed again.

"I was surprised. The second one came from nowhere and I gritted my teeth in surprise. So, I bit the client. That's why he got angry.”

"Did he hit you?”

"Mmh.”

"With what.”

The boy didn't answer, just rubbed the front of his shoe against the blue cabinet floor and watched the show as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. The doctor thought that she was not going to receive an answer because she resumed.

"Did they use objects in addition to their sex?"

" Mm-hmm.”

"What kind of object?”

“…”

"Objects that are sexual, or other kinds of objects?”

"I don't feel like answering anymore. Minato-Sensei said I wouldn't have to, if I didn’t want to.”

"And he is right. You've already answered a lot of questions, and I know it's been a huge effort. We can examine you now, if you want.”

Kakashi sighed, visibly as annoyed as he was stressed, but he nodded his morose head. The doctor got up and went to fetch a gown from one of the cupboards, the kind of large clothes that was open on the back.

"Will you take off your clothes and put on this blouse, Kakashi-kun? I can turn around in the meantime, if you want.”

Minato immediately saw the terror on his student’s face and he felt his heart squeeze under the urgent need to intervene.

"Can he..." he began, catching Kakashi's hopeful gaze. "Can he keep his shirt and mask on?”

"You told me that his back..."

"I can take care of his back," Minato cut. "It's within my capabilities.”

The doctor seemed hesitant, probably unenthusiastic about not making sure herself that there was nothing more serious, but she finally turned to Kakashi.

"It would make you feel more comfortable if you could keep your top and mask on?”

Kakashi immediately nodded his head and the woman smiled at him.

"All right then. But I need you to take off the rest.”

She turned again, tending to a cupboard to give the boy some privacy. He began to undress slowly and let Minato help him into the blouse. He then climbed onto the examination table as the civilian returned to them.

"I'm going to start with a blood test, to make sure you don't have any infection after what happened, and then I'll do an internal examination, okay?”

Kakashi did not answer but did nothing to stop the woman. The woman rolled back the sleeve of the gown and took a blood sample with confident and expert gestures. She then went to put the sample on her desk and returned to the boy who was now shaking slightly.

"I need you to lie down on your side and bring your knees as close to your chest as possible, okay, Kakashi?”

Minato watched the boy for a moment, and for the first time since he was his Jonin, he saw sudden tears begin to form in the dark, begging eyes of his student, though they were unable to roll down. If it broke his heart, he showed nothing of it.

"S-Sensei..." called out to the child in a pleading voice.

The Jonin approached him, the Doctor stepping aside to make way for him. He then crouched down in front of the boy and took his hands, offering him a reassuring smile and gently caressing his student's palm with his thumbs.

"Kakashi... Everything is going to be all right. It's almost over, I promise. Just one last effort, and it will all be over.”

Kakashi didn't answer, but his face, so open, so expressive, and so frightened spoke for him. Then, realizing that words had reached their limit, Minato took the boy in his arms and slowly guided the little body until he was lying on the examination table.

The doctor moved to the other side of the table and raised the fabric of the gown slightly. Kakashi immediately closed his eyes, so forcefully that long wrinkles came to hollow out his small forehead covered with such young and pale skin. Minato, for his part, passed one hand through his grey hair and came closer until he was the only thing the boy could see and feel. Seeing the obvious pain on his student's face turned his stomach, but he didn't let it show. He didn't know how long the examination had last. He felt as if he had been there for several hours, although it probably only lasted a few minutes. In any case, he spent the whole time gently rocking Kakashi, and whispering in his ear that it would all be over soon, that everything would be all right and that he was so proud of his courage and strength. He felt so useless, so pointless, his words nothing in front of the situation. Yet, he didn’t stop for a second.

When the examination was over, the doctor put the boy's gown back on, but the child didn't move, remaining in the fetal position on the examination table with his eyes closed and his body trembling. It took several minutes of combined effort by Minato and the woman to reassure the kid and help him to stand up. The Sensei dressed him again, while Jun took the last samples from the Chunin's mouth and from under his nails. And at last it was over. Kakshi wiped his sweat-soaked forehead with a trembling hand, but he was already recovering by the second. It was as impressive as it was disturbing.

"Kakashi?" Jun said softly. "You should be feeling less pain already?”

The boy tried to move a little and then nodded his head.

"Perfect. Don't push too hard. Will you go to the next room while I talk to your sensei? Your two friends must be there.”

Kakashi nodded again and after a last look at Minato to reassure himself, he opened the door and slid silently to the other side.

"If you would like to sit down, Namikaze-San.”

Minato detailed the door for a moment, but finally took a deep breath to detach himself from all those thoughts that were parasitizing his mind, and obeyed, sitting back in his chair. There was a moment of silence during which the doctor reread her document, annotated it and put it in a folder, before turning back to the adult.

"It must have been a bit trying for you.”

"Kakashi is the one who has had a hard time.”

"Yes, that's true," agreed the civilian, “but that doesn't mean it hasn't been difficult for you.”

Minato ended up agreeing, if only in front of her open and non-judgmental face, and she resumed.

"I'm taking the liberty of talking to you because even though I know that Kakashi is officially an adult, I think there needs to be someone more... mature and, let's say responsible, to help him through this situation. I understand from what you've told me that he has no parents.”

"No. His mother died when he was born and, as he had just become a genin when his father died, so he had no other legal guardians.”

"And you're the only adult person... well, adult... I mean... "

"I understand what you mean.”

"You're the only adult person in his life, right?”

"As far as I know, yes. We've only been working together for just over a year, but Kakashi is not very social and I don't think he knows anyone intimately except his team.”

"That's why I'm talking to you a little bit. Because I don't think it's very healthy for Kakashi to have to worry about all this alone. It's not very formal, but we're not a ninja's medical practice. Eleven-year-old adults are not usual for us.”

"I know. And that's why I came here instead of the hospital.”

"Well.”

She quickly reread one of the sheets in the file before resuming in a simple and professional voice.

"So, it won't surprise you, but I was able to find obvious traces of rape on Kakashi. There were internal injuries, which are, as I said, rather rare, in the context of sexual relations, but which can be explained here by the violence of those relations and the fact that Kakashi is quite small, even for an 11-year-old boy, which increases the risk of such injuries. I think they will heal easily. I have applied an ointment that should already drastically reduce the inflammation and help healing. And I will prescribe a medicine to relieve the pain.

“Given the circumstances, I will only prescribe you a medicine that can be taken orally, but if it persists, you will have to think about products that have to be applied locally. However, you shouldn't worry, it probably won't go that far. Expect some bleeding, it's nothing to worry about, but within a couple of days it should be resolved. If the pain or bleeding persists, reschedule, and we'll see then.

“About the external injuries, they are relatively minor. They look impressive, but I think you are used to seeing injuries that, especially with bruises and a little blood, are more frightening than dangerous.”

"Yes, his back wasn't looking good, but it was nothing to worry about and it didn't look particularly painful.”

"This is also what I thought. The pain medication will help with that too, just make sure the wounds stay clean and it should heal itself as well.”

"So in a few days, everything should be fine.”

"Physically, yes."

Minato understood what that short sentence meant. Of course, he knew what was to follow.

"I don't know what the procedures are in your trade for this kind of situation.”

"There aren't that many of them. Almost all rapes take place in the context of torture, and there is a procedure to follow if one has faced torture. It's a specific psychological therapy, but Kakashi is not concerned by it, since that was his mission and not an act of torture.”

"And do you you have access to psychological help, specialists..."

"Yes and no. You can ask to be seen by someone, but Kakashi will never accept. This kind of thing remains in our file and for a career as young as Kakashi's, it can compromise his promotion, or the missions that we will entrust to him.”

The doctor sighed and crossed her fingers in front of her chin, reflecting for a few moments as she glanced over the file in front of her.

"Okay, let's stop beating around the bush... Kakashi is a child. "she finally resumed. "Sexual assault and rape can be particularly destructive, but they are even more so in children. But Kakashi said he has had this kind of mission before. And I guess it lasted for a long time. I'm not going to hide this from you, it's going to leave after-effects. In the coming days, in the coming months more likely, you can expect greater aggressiveness, anguish, light or heavier forms of mutism, a desire for isolation. There are other opposite signs that may manifest themselves, such as regressive behavior, fear of being separated from his primary care-giver, but from what I have seen of Kakashi, I think there is a greater chance that he will develop those I told you first. There are also more serious things that you will need to be aware of to detect if they happen, such as a change in eating habits, nightmares, or fears at bedtime, self-harming behavior. You will need to be particularly attentive to this. It is also possible that he may develop what is known as post-traumatic stress disorder. I guess you've heard of it..."

"Yes. I know this one.”

"You'll have to pay attention to that too. This kind of trauma can also remain with the victim even once they have reach adulthood, especially when the trauma is repeated, as is the case with Kakashi. Here again, there is a whole range of signs, and we can't predict how it will develop in Kakashi, or even if it will develop at all. But people who have been sexually abused as children are more likely to develop risky behaviors, self-neglect, a distorted perception of self, a greater tendency to accept toxic or dangerous interpersonal relationships. The awakening to their own sexuality will also be at risk, they may develop more dangerous habits, such as having multiple partners, or early sexual awakening, especially in adolescence and ...".

Jun must have seen the nauseated look on Minato’s face when he suddenly became dizzy and leaned slightly forward, as if getting closer to the desk would help him to contain his uneasiness. The doctor remained silent for a while, before resuming in a softer voice.

"I'm listing what can happen so you know what to be prepared for, but it won’t necessarily happen. There is not a typical victim's path. All you can do is be with Kakashi and listen to him. He is already extremely lucky to have you by his side, and if you continue to support him, everything will go well for him. He will be able to get through this.”

"But..." Minato continued, forcing himself to pull himself together. "What am I supposed to do? In concrete terms, to help him, what should I do?”

"So, first of all... It seems absurd to me to have to say it, but make sure that he doesn't have this kind of mission again.”

Minato bit his lip. That was the whole problem. He could protest as much as he wanted, do his best, be the most attentive Sensei in the world, if the Hokage needed the boy for such a mission again, there was nothing he could do to stop it. Jun had to understand his silence because she insisted.

"Look, I can't find the words to press enough how dramatic what is happening is for Kakashi's development. Just with what has been done, we're probably talking about years of consequences. You can't send him back to this kind of mission. And if he gives the impression that he can bear them, believe me, you have no way of knowing which one will destroy him definitively.”

"I know that, but...”

"But this is the life of ninjas?”

"...of some ninjas, yes."

The two adults remained silent, staring at each other, and finally Jun sighed.

"I'm not going to repeat myself, you understood my advice. I hope you will do your best for Kakashi's sake. Apart from that, there's not much else to do. Stay attentive to what he tells you and what he doesn't tell you. Make sure he takes care of himself. He needs to eat. He needs to sleep. Keep him interested in what he was interested in before. That doesn't mean you have to pretend nothing has happened. You have to make Kakashi understand that he can come and talk to you about it whenever he wants, and that he has the right to be angry, or sad, or afraid. But his quality of life must not be diminished.”

"Yes, I understand.”

"Fine. I will write you this prescription, and within two days I will send you the results of the blood tests. Do you have any questions yourself? »

"Uh, yes. I was wondering, if it happens again, to Kakashi or someone else... What should I do? I've done what I manadged with Kakashi, and I'd like to know what I should have done.”

"You cared enough to reach out. That's about all you had to do."

Minato remained silent for a moment, receiving these words, and he finally nodded, an insidious feeling of relief slowly pushing away the guilt he had felt growing inside him since he had gone to see the Hokage. The Jonin got up and followed the doctor to the entrance of the office. He offered her a warm goodbye, thanking her for her help, and returned to the waiting room. He froze on the threshold, watching the scene in front of him. Obito, Rin and Kakashi were all three sitting on small plastic chairs, chatting cordially, leaning over white sheets of paper which they were coloring with a focus and seriousness that only a child could master in this situation. Minato had seen them fight, had seen them kill, had seen them die, but he had never seen them color. With a silent step so as not to disturb them, he approached the three children and leaned over the little red table. When Obito saw his shadow on his drawing, he jumped out of his skin and almost toppled his chair over.

"Sensei! You scared me! "he complained immediately.

"Didn't you hear him approaching?" Kakashi mumbled. "Are you sure you're really a ninja?”

"What did you say, Bakakashi?"

"Boys! "Rin intervened. “That's enough. We had said we wouldn’t fight.”

"You said that, Rin. We didn't.”

"Don't take it out on Rin!”

Minato had a slight laugh which interrupted the three children, who turned, irritated, to their Sensei, thinking he was mocking them.

"What makes you laugh like that, Minato-Sensei," asked a sullen Obito.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. Show me your drawings instead.”

Obito was very enthusiastic about the idea and immediately put his sheet of paper in the Sensei's hands. There wasn't really a precise shape, it was rather as if Obito had wanted to fit all the colors of their pencils on the sheet, even if it meant squeezing them a little. Rin had drawn the main street of Konoha, with its shops and houses. The line was hesitant and the accuracy dubious, but the drawing was full of life and many sketches taking place between the silhouettes of the passers-by showed all the creativity and inventiveness of the young girl. Kakashi's drawing was a display of technique. The boy was a prodigy in everything, and he would surely never be able to bear the idea of not being beyond expectations. It was all the more impressive as he had only had about ten minutes to draw. He had traced the contours of a gigantic, foaming wave, ready to crash into a frail skiff, and he was just beginning to color it in all shades of blue.

Minato detailed each of the drawings and felt an inexplicable joy at their sight.

"You wouldn't want to give them to me, by any chance?”

"You want my drawing? "asked Obito, delighted. "For real?”

"Of course! I've got a wall just waiting to display it.”

Obito seemed proud at the thought alone. Rin blushed a little and nodded happily. Kakashi looked more hesitant. He stared at his drawing, then at Minato, before frowning.

"I'll make you another one," he finally announced.

“That’s good. Because this one's pretty ugly! "snorted Obito.

Rin protested strongly, but Kakashi said nothing, just put the drawing back on the table and stood up to leave. That afternoon, Minato bought ice cream for each of his three soldiers, and they spent the rest of the day playing with the ball that Obito had "borrowed" from his little cousin. Seeing Rin score a goal against an admiring Obito and a falsely detached Kakashi, he couldn't help but dream that the village would be exactly as it was this afternoon, once he was Hokage.

* * *

* * *

"Kakashi-Senseiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Kakashi forced himself not to sigh or show any sign of annoyance. He knew he was a rather mediocre Sensei, but to roll his eyes every time he heard the voice of one of his students was still beyond what he could allow himself to do.

"What's wrong, Naruto? "he asked in a calm voice, without taking his eyes off his book.

The Jonin heard more than he saw the boy run until he stopped at the foot of the tree in which he was sitting.

"It's Sasuke! He is getting on my nerves, again!”

"A ninja must not let their emotions get the better of them, Naruto. If he gets on your nerves, take this as a good opportunity to practice self-control.”

"NARUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

This time it was Sakura's voice that twisted the air as the young Kunoichi hurled herself down the small slope leading to Kakashi’s tree and hit Naruto on the top of the skull.

"You dare to come and criticize Sasuke-kun in front of the Sensei?! Who do you think you are!”

"Ouch! Sakura! Stop hitting me!”

"But will you both shut up?”

It was Sasuke's cold, sullen voice that had just resonated. The Uchiha, perched on a rock, had activated his Sharingan to try to observe the environment around them.

"I will shut up when you stop behaving like a... OUCH! Sakura!”

"Fine," announced Kakashi, closing his book with a light snap.

He slipped the Icha Icha into his back pocket and let himself fall gracefully from the tree until he stood in front of Sakura and Naruto.

"What happened?”

Kakashi would have thought that the tone of his voice left no doubt that he was not at all interested in the answer, but Naruto did not seem to understand it because he exclaimed immediately.

"You said to set up camp, so I wanted to do the scouting. But Sasuke came and told me that I could hardly set up a tent anyway, so I shouldn't try to do anything more complicated! But Sasuke is clearly the useless dead weight of the team.”

"The last time you tried to set up a tent," snorted Sakura, "you stabbed yourself in the eye, we had to call off the mission to get you to the hospital.”

"It's because it's well below my capabilities. So it's difficult for me! Sensei, you have to find activities at my level!”

"Really? "Kakashi asked politely. "What kind of activity?”

"I don't know! Glorious things! Complicated missions! The hardest and classiest you can find!”

"Glorious things..." repeated the Jonin as if he was thinking about the idea.

"Yes," said Naruto with determination. "I didn't become a ninja to set up tents! I want action! Heroism!”

“You can find us that, Sensei?" Sakura asked in a more respectful tone, but one that did not hide her enthusiasm and hope. "Real missions of real ninjas."

"Real missions of real ninjas... What exactly do you think this is?”

Even Sasuke had come closer, visibly interested in the conversation, and especially because he thought they may be able to finally get something out of their useless teacher.

"Dangerous stuff! "exclaimed Naruto, who was obviously unable to lower the volume of his voice. "Ninjas save people! And they are part of the legends! And then everyone tells their exploits with admiration!”

"I see..."

Kakashi rubbed his chin, pensive, under the hopeful gaze of his three genins.

"You want the kind of missions that future generations will tell about... And what about the others?”

"The others? "asked Sakura without understanding.

"The ones we don't tell.”

"Do you mean the legend of Naruto Uzumaki and the lost cat of Konoha, or the legend of Naruto Uzumaki and the weeds in the Hokage garden? I think we've had our share of shitty missions! We can move on to the others.”

Kakashi looked at them one by one, detailing their dreamy eyes as they imagined they were already saving the widow and orphan.

"I'll see what I can do...".

"Really, Sensei?"

" ...In the meantime, set those tents up and go check that no goats are missing from the herd.”

"You see, Sensei," Naruto grumbled as he set to work. "That, typically, is not a glorious mission.”

Kakashi didn't answer, and watched them for a moment as they moved around the camp. The three children, barely twelve years old, had already gone through more hardship than their young age should have allowed. And yet they still had this candid idea of what a ninja really was. And, almost more than for their lives, it was to keep this ideal intact that Kakashi was willing to fight.

He hoped that, at least for these three children, what "less glorious" meant to them would never become what it meant to him. Only then the sacrifices of previous generations would make sense and only then the world would become bearable.


End file.
